I Thought I Lost You
by SapphireMoonlight24
Summary: Alexandra Daley goes to work with her Uncle Larry and is surprisingly thrilled to meet everyone in the museum. But why does Octavius seem to recognize her? Is there something more? Octavius/OC **COMPLETED**
1. Good To Meet You

A.N: Back again, but this time its not a Jed/Oct fic. Its just Octavius/OC ..... with my character Alexandra. Please read & hope you enjoy! Now, on with the story!

Disclaimer: Don't Own. Not Mine. Never.

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The Roman, The Girl and Their Secret Past

By SapphireMoonlight24

"Alex?! You ready yet?" Larry Daley called to his teenage niece in his small, two-bedroom flat. Tapping his foot impatiently, he glanced downwards to his watch, checking the time. 6.45pm. He was due in work at seven. '_Those museum exhibits aren't going to guard themselves'_ he thought, '_I guess all fifteen year-old girls take this long to get ready.'_

"Almost," a voice called back from the bathroom, "just a second!" Larry flicked his eyes up angrily. Alex's mother had gone away to Los Angeles for the winter break, leaving the young girl with nowhere to stay, so the night-guard had offered her a room in his flat. It wasn't much, but at least the teenager wouldn't have to stay with her drunken, alcoholic father. Larry was too busy thinking about what could have happened if Alex had gone to stay with that horrid man, that he didn't see the young girl skip happily down the hallway.

"All ready," she smiled. Larry grinned back, looking the girl from head to toe. Jet-black jeans dominated her bottom half and an electric-purple t-shirt around her top, showing off her neatly tanned arms. Her long, brown hair covered her ears, the fringe draping down over one of her crystal blue eyes, almost covering it completely. She had obviously been busy dying three deep people streaks into her hair. She smiled, showing her teeth.

"You look just like your mother," Larry murmured, while memories of him and his little sister played through his mind.

Alex smirked. "Did my mother wear dark purple _All Star Converse _pumps _and _put purple streaks in her hair?" Larry gave no reply, only rubbed the top of her head, messing up her fringe. They grabbed their coats and stepped outside, the December wind hitting them straight in their faces. The pair walked briskly towards the Museum of Natural History, desperate to escape the cold. While walking, Alex glanced up at the deep blue sky, thinking of her home back in North Carolina. It seemed strange to her, moving from a two-story house in a peaceful town to a two-bedroom flat on a busy street. It had always been her mother who had cared for her, as her father left shortly after the girl was born, telling his wife of thirteen of years, that he never wanted a child and that he thought they would be better carrying on their lives apart. Of course, Alex would like to meet her father after all these years apart, however from the things she had heard about the alcoholic man, she was now a little more apprehensive. Nevertheless, Alex had always been good at coping with change and she took things within her stride quite easily. She was in the care of her Uncle now, a gentle man who dearly loved those close to him. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

~*~

After everyone had left, and the main and back doors had been locked, Larry returned to the main desk, to find Alex sprawled across one of the swivel-chairs, feet resting on a pile of papers.

"This is it, then?" she asked, a bored tone hinting in her voice.

"Just wait a minute!" the night-guard replied, frustrated. Alex moaned, took her feet off the papers, lay back and spun around rapidly on the chair, her hair wafting all over her face. Suddenly, a loud roar caused her to look up to find the T-Rex skeleton staring at her, wagging its huge tail. The girl blinked, her mouth almost hitting the floor. Larry smiled, and took out the miniature sports car from the bag he kept in his locker in the back of the Museum. The young girl then heard the sound of a horse approaching. She turned, coming face to face with Teddy Roosevelt.

"Weren't expecting that were you?" Larry laughed, Alex still staring in shock.

"Lawrence! Good evening, and who is this fine young lady you've brought with you?" the older man asked, giving a nod of his head to the stunned girl.

"This is Alexandra. She's my niece, and she's gonna be staying with me for a while," he replied, "I think she wasn't expecting to see everything in here move and breathe!"

"Hi, Mr. Roosevelt," she stammered, not knowing quite what to say.

"Hey, she's a keen history student too," Larry added, feeling the urge to embarrass his niece even more. Teddy nodded again and smiled at Alex.

"Ah! Glad to hear it!" the ex-president beamed, "I always say if you know more about the past, you're more prepared for the future."

Alex turned to Larry. "H-h-h-how?!" She managed to spit out. Larry stepped forward and took her shaking hand, leading her away from Rexy and Teddy, upstairs towards Ahkmenrah's tomb, the young king meeting them halfway.

"Evening, Larry. I was just on my way down. Who is this young lady?" Ahkmenrah asked, looking Alex up and down.

"This here's Alexandra, she's my niece," he replied. The king bowed, taking the girl's hand and kissing it gently, making Alex blush. After having a relatively long conversation with Ahkmenrah explaining how everything comes to life at night, Alex listening attentively and understanding fully, the pair then made their way to the diorama room, in order to give the car to Jedediah and Octavius. Larry led the shaky girl into the room, their arms interlocked. Alex looked around, seeing miniature versions of Ancient Rome, the American Frontier and the Ancient Maya Civilisation. A tiny cowboy and Roman stood on the bench in the middle of the room, waving them over. Alex was slowly starting to come to grips with the reality of the situation, so there was no point continuing to be freaked out by everyone and everything. '_Why not just 'roll with it'?" _she thought, "_Awww, what the hell! I'll go with it. What's the worst that could happen?'_

"'Bout time you got here, Gigantor! The night's almost over!" the cowboy yelled, his hands on, and wiggling, his hips.

Larry nodded. "Sorry guys, I was showing Alexandra around. She's my niece, and she's gonna be coming here for a while so I thought she needed to know the regular ol' drill."

The girl smiled down on the two men. "Hi there. You must be Jedediah, right? And you're Octavius?"

Jed saluted. "Yes, ma'am, but Jed will do. I ain't fussed." He then waited for Octavius to confirm his identity to the young lady, however he did not. Giving the Roman a jam in the ribs with his elbow, Jedediah edged Octavius forward.

"Er...er, yes, I am Octavius, General of the first army of Rome," he spluttered, "pleased to make your acquaintance....Alexandra." The Roman gulped loudly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Alex giggled. "The pleasure's all mine, General. I have to say," the girl crouched down to his level, "you do look rather dashing in that armour." It seemed that it was only Octavius himself that did not realise that Alex was indeed mocking his vocabulary and accent. He blushed as red as his tunic.

"Th-thank you, my lady," he said, then turning to Jed, pulling the cowboy close and whispering into his ear, "please can we leave now? I'm feeling rather awkward!"

The cowboy laughed quietly, waving his hands at Octavius. Larry could tell by the Roman's body language that he felt extremely uncomfortable around Alex, for some odd reason, so placed the two little men on the floor next to their car, Jed climbing into the driver's side and Octavius in the passenger's seat and speeding off, leaving young Alex slightly bewildered. She looked up at her uncle, as if to ask 'What was that all about?'

"Don't ask me. I have no clue what's going on," the night-guard shrugged.

~*~

"Hey. Hey! Octavius, partner! You wanna come back down from Cloud Nine?!" Jedediah waved his hands angrily in front of his friend's dreamy face. The Roman blinked quickly, his mind returning from his thoughts.

"Did you say something, Jedediah?"

The cowboy groaned. "Yeah, I kinda did! I've been talkin' to ya for the past five minutes. Now, will ya kindly explain to me what the hell was with you back there?!" Octavius said nothing, only sank his eyes down, to look at the dashboard of the car.

The cowboy sighed, sensing that something was bothering the Roman quite severely. "C'mon Ockie... I know you better than anyone, _ever_, an' you ain't tellin' me that _that _was normal behaviour for you?" He waited for a reply, unfortunately, he didn't get one. Jedediah edged closer to Octavius, trying a more subtle and gentle approach. "Just before I nudged you ... you looked like you'd seen a ghost or summit."

"....you're not far off, my friend."

"Look, will ya just come out with it! You know I ain't any good with words!"

Octavius sighed, deciding to surrender to Jed's iron will.

"Well, I guess you could call her a ghost of some sort...I mean not that she looks like one, because sh-she is beautiful ... I mean not that I was paying that much attention to her it's just that..." he stammered, spitting random words out and not wanting to finish his sentences, "I've seen her before... but not here...well in Rome, but not-" He paused and sighed deeply, which angered Jed.

"Octavius! Out with it!" he yelled.

The Roman gritted his teeth, the rage bubbling up inside him. "Alexandra was in my past life!" the Roman shouted, in defeat. Jedediah stared back, eyes wide.

"Wh-what?"

"I knew her in my past life. Very well, in fact. You know, when I was ... actually alive. We were lovers, destined to be together, if you believe in that sort of thing. 'Alexandra & Octavius'. We thought it had a nice ring to it. We used to spend endless afternoons in the meadows, just us....not a care in the world..." he stopped, as if the tears in his eyes were choking back his words.

"Go on," Jedediah edged.

"We were going to be so happy together, I was planning to propose to her, but I never got my chance. You see, her father in England ... he became ill and she moved away to be with him and ..... I never saw her again...." Tears were now flowing down his cheeks, landing on his entwined hands on his lap.

Both of the men knew too well that Jedediah was no good coping with emotional situations like this, but both were equally shocked at the cowboy's next move. Jed placed one of his hands on top of Octavius', then offered calming words to help his closest friend.

"You musta loved her a lot, huh?" he asked, trying his best to catch the Roman's eye.

"More than I've ever loved anyone...Of course, she's changed now. She wears odd-looking clothes now and puts different colours in her... perfect hair.... but I don't care. She's still Alexandra and she always will be, no matter if she does not remember me," Octavius sniffled.

"Don't cha think you should talk to her? I mean, for all you know, she might remember you too..." Jedediah shrugged, rubbing his thumb across the back of the Roman's shaking hands.

"I don't know Jedediah," Octavius shook his head, pessimistically, "If I tell her, and she does not remember ... I do not think my heart could take another hit like that."

Hearing his friends negativity, Jedediah decided he wouldn't take no for an answer. Octavius had never been in love before, not as far as he knew anyway, and he couldn't just sit back and let the spark die out, could he? The cowboy started the engine, and with a violent turn, they sped back off to find Alex and Larry. Octavius knew he could do nothing to stop Jedediah's actions, so he sat back, rested his head on the seat and glared out of the side window, praying.

'_Please....Jupiter please let her remember me....."_

_

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_A.N: Ahhhh :) Took me a while to write, and I hope to upload a new chapter soon. In the meantime, hope you enjoyed it and please review :)


	2. Breathe Slow

A.N: Back again! My school got cancelled today cos of the snow! So it gave me the perfect opportunity to continue with my Octavius/OC story. There's kinda a lot of Jedediah and Octavius in this, but just friendship. Thanks for reading :)

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Chapter 2

The miniature sports car sped unbelievably fast across the marble floors of the museum, both little men inside searching every room in every corridor for young Alexandra. Deep down, Octavius didn't really want to find the girl, or tell her about their past. He had struggled to tell his best friend, never mind the girl who was actually involved. Sweat dripped off his brown and the sensation in his stomach was beginning to make him feel sick. He wasn't sure if he could take any more of the flips and turns that his gut was performing. Jed stopped the car outside Ahkmenrah's room, thinking. To the Roman's dismay, Jedediah then swerved into the tomb, as an idea had popped into his head. He pulled the car up next to one of the many pillars, and killed the engine.

"Er...Jedediah? A-Alexandra is not in h-here," Octavius stuttered.

The cowboy nodded. "I know. I godda ask Ahk summit." He got out of their car and jogged up to the King's foot, using all the air in his tiny lungs to grab his attention.

"Hey! Ahkmenrah!! Down here!" Jed jumped up and down, waving his arms in the air. Remarkably, the young Pharaoh heard the tiny cowboy and crouched down to his level.

"Hello there, Jedediah. What can I do for you?"

Jed pouted. "Well.....Octavius needs ta have an important talk with Miss Alex, and I just thought that... maybe you could make him taller? Ya know... so he can look her straight in the eyes," Jedediah turned round to glance at Octavius, who was slowly, but surely, climbing out of the car. With one hand rubbing nervously over his temple, the Roman edged forward towards his friend.

"Yes, I think I could manage that for you," Ahkmenrah smiled, moving towards Octavius, "You will turn miniature again once the sun has set, so Larry may have to move you back to your diorama if you do not get there quick enough. You will have to come into contact with the Tablet to become tall again. Clear?"

Both miniatures were ecstatic to hear that it could be done, one more than the other. The Pharaoh walked over to his Tablet and began to speak in his native tongue. Suddenly, the artefact began to glow, it sending out a blinding white light. The ground began to shake, causing all three of them to loose their balance and fall to their knees. Jedediah felt his heart pound and vibrate. Clutching his chest tightly, he heard Octavius moan and whimper before his mind blacked out.

~*~

Larry, Alex and Teddy all rushed towards Ahk's room, to find the source of the tremor. They ran in, glanced around, only to find Ahkmenrah and Jedediah unconscious on the sarcophagus and a human-sized Octavius slumped against one of the pillars. Gasping, Larry ran over to Jed, scooping the tiny cowboy up into his hands, Teddy leaped over to help the King to his feet while Alex knelt by the Roman's side. Ahkmenrah groaned as he opened his eyes.

"Wh-what happened?" he asked, his face seemingly lost.

Teddy laughed. "Well, by the looks of things, your tablet has caused our Roman friend over there has had a rather sudden growth spurt." Alexandra held Octavius in her arms as he came around. He opened his eyes lazily, only to find his past-lover's face extremely close to his.

"Oh Octavius! You're awake! Thank god, I thought something terrible had happened to you!" The Roman gave no reply, only blushed. Alexandra guided Octavius to his feet, her arm around his waist. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"Well.... I needed to talk with you a-and Jedediah suggested that I increase my height so I could explain it to you better." He tried his very best not to stutter, then them both suddenly turning around to face Larry. The night-guard stood opposite the pair, Jedediah lying, unconscious, in his hands. Octavius edged closer to him, extending his arm to take the cowboy in his own hands.

"J-Jedediah...?" the Roman asked, praying that his closest friend was merely sleeping. Larry handed the cowboy over to Octavius, Alexandra standing close by his side. The Roman and the girl could feel their eyes beginning to water at the sight of their cowboy friend.

"Wh-what's wrong with him?" Octavius cried.

Ahkmenrah stared back. "I can only assume that the effect of the Tablet on you, has caused an even worse effect on Jedediah....the power must have been too much for his tiny body to handle."

Octavius began to cry, his tears falling and landing next to Jedediah. Alexandra wrapped her arms around the Roman's shoulders, burying her face in his neck. Although she had only known both men for only a few hours, she had felt an immediate spark when she met them, knowing instantly that they would become close. The teenager pulled away to look down at Jedediah, peacefully cradled in Octavius' hands.

~*~

Alexandra escorted Octavius and his precious cargo back to the American Frontier, to hand Jedediah over to his own men and into his own medical facility. They knelt next to the diorama, a group of cowboys rushing over with a stretcher, lead by Jedediah's best-American-friend, William. Octavius descended his hand slowly, being extremely careful not to injure Jed. The cowboys removed their leader from the large hand, each of them supporting a different body part. The group then laid Jedediah onto the stretcher, the cowboy's limp body falling into place, a stray piece of blond hair falling over his closed eyes. The group of 4 cowboys walked off cautiously, carrying Jedediah to their doctor, William staying to talk with the larger pair.

"Will he be okay?" Alex asked, a tone of worry hinting in her voice.

Will shrugged. "There ain't much we'll be able to do for him, 'part from make him comfy. Ahk says he doesn't know when he'll wake up, so I guess we just have to wait 'n' see."

Octavius sighed. "I will try to be with him when I can...."

"We don't need you. 'Member, Octavius, it's kinda your fault he's in this way." With a final tip of his hat, Will followed the other cowboys to be with Jedediah.

Alexandra turned to Octavius, her eyes filled with distress.

"You gonna be alright, Octavius?" she asked, her voice making the Roman's heart flutter.

"Hm? Oh, yes. I'm sure I'll be fine. Jedediah will be too. He has a strong spirit, you see...." his voice trailed off, as his breath was taken away by the beauty in front of him. The black make-up that the girl wore around her eyes emphasised them greatly. Octavius stared into her eyes, his mind wandering. The commotion in his gut began again as he realised that this was his perfect moment to talk to the young girl.

"Alexandra....do you think I could talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure. What's on your mind, General?" She smiled, showing her perfectly-aligned teeth. Octavius' heart sped up. He plucked up the courage and grabbed her hand, leading her to the bench in the centre of the room. He inhaled deeply, knowing this was his one and only moment to get his lover back. If he screwed this up…that's it.

No second chances.

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A.N: Sorry, kind of a short chapter, but if you review, I'll update sooner. Thanks for reading :)


	3. The Heart Never Lies

A.N: I'm back with an update, which you might be pleased at :) Thanks to the people who took a minute from their important day to review my story. This is for you. X

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Chapter 3

Octavius positioned himself carefully on the bench, opposite Alexandra, his palms sweating. He searched his mind, trying to find the best way to tell the girl, without causing any damage to her.

He exhaled deeply. "Alexandra? D-do you know anything of Ancient Rome?"

The teenager pondered for a moment before answering. "We've only done a little about their study of medicines in school, but apart from that, no." She paused. "I'm sorry, that may have insulted you a little." She smiled a little, trying to read what was written in the Roman's eyes. '_His deep, sparkling eyes....'_ she thought.

"No, no. You did not insult me at all. So, you remember nothing at all?"

"Remember?" Alexandra shook her head. "No, why? Should I?"

Octavius wasn't quite sure what to say next. Was he to simply come out with it or gently ease the question onto her? Becoming impatient, Alex edged closer to the Roman and placed her hand on top his, stroking the back of it with her thumb.

"Look, Octavius. If there's something you want to say, then just come out and say it! I don't like to be kept waiting, you know!"

"...Yes. I do know." The Roman angled his head so that Alex could not make eye contact with him. He glanced up at her, an expression of shock and bewilderment painted on her face.

"How do you know? You couldn't possibly...." She was cut off by Octavius interrupting.

"I knew you! Just a little over 2000 years ago in Ancient Rome. We were young …. and in love. I guess you could say it was the choice of the Gods for us to be together. I, as well as you, knew we were going to be happy together, that is, until you found word that your father had fallen terribly ill in England....and you moved away and stayed in England. I know that it may sound barbaric to you, my love, but it is nothing but the truth...." He turned to face the girl, and saw tears streaming down her face. The Roman moved his hand to her face, in an attempt to wipe them away, only to be stopped by her hand gripping his wrist. The girl was breathing very deeply.

"Alexandra, please tell me you recall something. Anything!" Octavius pleaded. Maybe she was crying because the memories were flooding back to her? The girl began to sob, her free hand pressing her forehead.

"Octavius....I'm sorry. I can't believe you...." she released her grip on the Roman's wrist before running away, her long brown hair swaying as she did.

"Alexandra! Please wait!" There was no point in running after her. He had his chance and he blew it. That was it. Alone, once again.

~*~

Running away. Anywhere was better than here. She had never been the type of girl to run away from her problems, but this was different. Down the stairs, around the back and out through the rear exit. Snow fell from the dark sky, sticking on her hair and eyelashes. Across the street and into the park. Finding a pleasant, dark spot underneath a large oak tree, Alexandra sank down to the ground, covering her face with her hands. How? How is that even possible? There wasn't any way that she was believing, even for a second, that she was a reincarnation of a 2000 year old Roman girl, who was _almost _engaged to a Roman General. No way. She ran a hand through her hair, shivering. Perhaps a t-shirt in the middle of winter wasn't the best idea. The girl rested her head back against the tree, wishing she was back in the flat, home. Uncle Larry made _the_ best hot chocolate in the world. She could almost taste the cocoa in her mouth. Oh, how she wanted to feel the hot liquid run down her throat. Finally, she decided to walk back to the flat, and wallow in her own self-pity. With her arms folded tightly across her chest and kicking a few lumps of snow as she went, Alex prayed that she hadn't hurt Octavius' feelings by running away, but what was her other option? Say 'no' straight in his face and carry on like nothing had happened? '_I'm not that type of girl, I'm not a quitter.'_ she thought. Turning around, she now faced the Museum. _'I am sorry, Octavius... So sorry.'_

~*~

With three hours still to go to sunrise, Octavius decided there was no point in staying tall, so he went to the Tablet to become miniature once again. He reached out and placed his palm over the writing, making it flash. He could feel his limbs becoming shorter and the next thing he knew, he was a six-inch tall Roman General again. He wandered back to the Hall of Miniatures, to be with Jedediah, slowly and with a miserable expression on his face. When he arrived, he climbed the rope into the American Frontier and towards Jed's tent. The cowboy was the only reason he was still living. He had lost Alexandra, there was only Jedediah left to care for. Other cowboys glared at the Roman as he walked by, but he didn't care. Jedediah was all that mattered now. His true love had abandoned him, who else could he turn to? He located and entered the tent, to find William asleep on a chair next to Jedediah's bed. His friend was still unconscious, with a thick, white bandage wrapped around his head, his beloved hat placed on his bedside table. Octavius cleared his throat, in order to grab Will's attention.

The brunette awoke. "Oh. It's you. Where's your girlfriend, General?" he asked, sarcastically.

Octavius resisted the urge to become violent, and replied with a question. "How is he doing?"

"Fine. Our doctors don't know what's up with him. Just sleepin', I guess." Will now noticed just how worried the Roman was for Jed when he saw Octavius' eyes fill with tears. He got up from his seated position, walked over to the General and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be angry with yer, it's just that, well, me and Jed.... we've been friends for a long time. I guess I just hate to see him like this," the young cowboy smiled, "but he's got you now, right? He's always happy when you're around. I'll give yer some privacy with him." With that, William walked out of the tent, leaving Octavius alone with Jed. The Roman walked up to the bed and sat himself down on the chair.

Octavius began to talk. "You'll never guess what I've done, Jedediah. I've only gone and messed up my only chance to regain my love with Alexandra, and look what I've done to you. Some General I turned out to be. I can't negotiate.... not with anyone." He cried, and knelt down on the floor, grabbing Jedediah's limp and cold hand. He rested his head on the straw bed, his face buried in the covers.

"Please, Jedediah. I am seemingly lost without you...."

Octavius was now crying that much that he did not feel the cold hand suddenly form a firm grip around his own...

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A.N: Hahah... what will happen next? Review cos I'll update faster if you do :) Thanks again x


	4. Sweet Dream Or A Beautiful Nightmare

A.N: Chapter update! I have to warn you, just in case you like to moan about it, there's hints of Jed/Oct throughout this chapter. So if you don't like to think of them in that way, then just think of it as brotherly friendship, yeah? But feel free to *Slash* them if you want.... Thats the way I always think of them. x] X

Also the big paragraph in _italics _is supposed to be dreaming, just in case you got confused :)

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Chapter 4

The cold hand gripped around the Roman's, making his heart jump. Octavius tuned his head, finding himself looking into Jedediah's lazy blue eyes.

"H-hey th-there, Octavius." The cowboy smiled weakly, using all the energy he had to wipe away tears from the Roman's cheek, using his forefinger.

"Jedediah! Thank Jupiter you're okay!" Octavius leapt up from his knees, throwing his arms around Jed's neck, holding him as close as he could. The moment didn't last long, as the cowboy moaned in pain and Octavius realised that it was his fault that Jedediah could barely move a muscle. The guilt came down on him like a tonne of bricks.

"I am so sorry, Jedediah," Octavius began to cry again, "It is by my own doing that you are in this much pain."

"Hey! I'll hear none of that talk! And besides, I'm totally fine." The cowboy attempted to prop himself up on his elbows, but failed when an immense pain ran up his arm and down his back, making him feel like his spine would snap in half. Jed groaned and collapsed back down onto the bed, panting. Octavius grabbed a damp cloth from the bedside table and carefully placed it on Jedediah's forehead, over his bandages.

Feeling the cool water drip down onto his warm face felt like Heaven.

"Thanks, partner... I don't know what's wrong with me. I just feel kinda exhausted and achy, ya know?" the cowboy smiled, trying his very best to be optimistic about his condition. "So, how'd it go with Alex?"

Octavius sighed and shook his head. "I have lost her, Jedediah. I explained everything to her, and she did not remember anything. She was angry, and told me that she could not possibly believe me.... So she ran off, leaving me alone once again....." The Roman sobbed, not caring how silly he looked. Jed stared as his friend, who broke down before his eyes.  
"Look, Ockie. Maybe it's not her? Maybe this Alex just looks like _your _Alexandra?"

Octavius laughed. "And this Alexandra has the same name, personality and beauty? I find that very hard to believe, Jedediah. I do not believe things happen by coincidence." Octavius shook his head as he looked down on his injured friend. Jed could feel his already-lazy eyes wanting to close, the darkness calling his name.

Seeing how exhausted his friend was, Octavius decided to let the darkness settle in on Jed, feeling that both of them had had a hectic night. "Rest," the Roman commanded, placing a hand on the cowboy's forearm, "I shall see you tomorrow evening."

"G'night, partner." Octavius was about to walk out when Jedediah shouted him. "Hey, don't you be worryin' 'bout anythin'. Ya hear?" Octavius nodded and smiled weakly, before leaving Jedediah to sleep. Now alone, the cowboy shut his eyes, thinking of the pain Octavius must be feeling_. 'There must be someway of gettin' Alex to 'member somethin'...'_

With that thought occupying his mind, Jedediah drifted off into the darkness, and there to wait until sunset the next evening.

~*~

Early the next morning, Larry found his niece asleep on the steps leading up to his flat, trying her very best to shield her face from the icy wind. Feeling her forehead, the girl was frozen to the bone. Trying not to wake her, Larry picked her up and took her inside, laying her down on his couch. A few hours later, shivering, Alexandra woke up and found herself neatly wrapped underneath a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate placed on the table next to her. Larry sat on the chair next to her.

"Hey! Morning, sunshine. How you feeling?" he smiled.

"Fffff-freezing..." she replied, pulling the blanket over her nose.

"Thought as much. What did you think you were doing? Why did you leave the museum?"

It took Alex a long time to actually explain what had happened with Octavius. She had to make sure that her Uncle fully understood.

"So he said you were his lover in Rome? Like _Ancient _Rome?!" Larry could hardly believe what he was hearing. It was almost impossible that Alexandra, his fifteen year-old niece, was almost engaged to a Roman General some 2000 years ago.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, but I told him there wasn't anyway that I could believe him...and I ran out on him. I mean, I do care for him. He's so sweet, but I-I just don't see how it's possible." Larry moved next to the shivering girl, pulling her up into his warm arms.

"Don't you worry about a thing. We'll sort it...." He ran his hand through her long brown hair, his fingers following the path of the dominant purple streaks.

"I hope you're right, Uncle Larry." She pulled away, the night-guard walking off to prepare breakfast in the kitchen. She rolled over onto her back, now facing the ceiling. _'I hope Jed and Octavius are both okay...'_ she thought, '_But....I don't think I can face either of them again....' _

~*~

That evening, Larry was putting on his coat, ready to go into work.

"Alex! I know you're upset, honey, but you've godda come with me. You can't stay here on your own all night! You can just stay in the lobby, you don't have to see either of them!" He shouted across into the living room to his stubborn niece, who was lying upside-down on the couch.

"I'm not going! For one thing, I'm too tired and I don't want to even be in the same building as _them_!"

Larry groaned. "Alexandra, now!" He was never a naturally-angry type of man, but Alex was trying his patience.

"Aarghh! Fine! But I'm not moving from the lobby." She got up from the couch and walked to her Uncle in the hallway, grabbing her coat and scarf. The pair stood staring at one another for a while, before laughing. Larry wrapped his arm around the girl's neck and rubbing his hand across her hair, messing it up.

"You've got your father's stubbornness," he laughed. Alex smiled back.

"C'mon. We're gonna be late again." They then left the flat, racing each other down the street. Finally, they arrived at the museum, just as everyone was leaving. An hour later, the sun melted behind New York and the museum erupted to life. Alexandra wasn't interested in talking to anyone, so she made herself comfortable on the two chairs at the main desk, while Larry went on his rounds to sort any problems there were.

~*~

Octavius hopped across from his diorama into Jedediah's. He strolled towards his friend's tent, not thinking about much. He stepped into Jed's room and zipped the entrance shut behind him. The cowboy was still asleep, snoring slightly. Octavius stepped forward and placed himself near the end of Jedediah's bed. Resting his elbows on his thighs and settled his face into his hands, massaging his temples. How could this have happened? One day, everything is fine, neither the Roman or the cowboy had a care in the world, but then the next...Jed ends up bedridden and Octavius falls in love.

"What's up with your face?" The Roman turned to find Jedediah staring at him, eyebrows raised.

"You have no idea," Octavius sighed, "I cannot help but feel that I have done this to you and I …. I still feel some emotion for Alexandra..."

"What did I tell ya last night, Octavius?! No worrying!" Jedediah tried to move his arm to reach Octavius', but stopped when the bone began to burn. "Now," he continued through gritted teeth, "I want ya to go 'n' turn human-sized, then go 'nd fine Miss Alex and have another talk with her. Ya understand?"

"....but,"

"No 'buts', Octavius! Go!" Jedediah knew he had to be stern, otherwise the Roman wouldn't listen. 'In one ear and out the other', as he liked to say.

Octavius stepped out of the tent. Jedediah was right, he had to confront Alex about what she had done. He climbed down from the diorama, into the driver's seat of his sports car-that Larry had left there for him- and sped off as quickly as he could to the Tablet. Conveniently, Ahkmenrah had left the artefact on the floor where the miniature Roman could reach it. Inhaling deeply, Octavius triumphantly walked toward the Table, pressing his hand to the centre and closing his eyes. When he opened them, he was human-sized, and ready to take on the World … and Alexandra

~*~

Alex could feel her eyes closing, as if something was forcing them shut. She was still sprawled across the chairs that she had cleverly transformed into a bed. The girl laid her head down on the chair and allowed her eyes to close.... and began to dream.

_Alexandra found herself stood on a balcony, looking out onto a hot and busy city. She looked around, trying to find a sense of familiarity. Her eyes locked onto a large cylinder-shaped building, with shouting and cheering coming from it. The Colosseum of Rome. She gasped, finally realising where and when she was. 'Ancient Rome … Like _Ancient _Rome,' she thought, hardly wanting to believe her eyes. She looked down on a couple, who were sat under a large tree, the girl lying in the man's arms, both with smiles on their faces. The man had short black hair and deep brown eyes that the girl could not stop staring into. He was dressed in a blood-red tunic, polished armour covering almost every part of his body, excluding his head. The girl he was with looked so much like...no....is that even possible? Alex looked down at herself then back up to the girl under the tree. Discounting the clothes, the two girls were identical, the modern Alex realising that the man was Octavius. The reality of the Roman's words to her hit her suddenly. The girl under the tree was dressed in a beautiful white dress, just covering her knees, a purple lotus flower placed neatly in her long brown hair. Alex then heard the couple having a conversation._

"_Octavius?" The girl turned to face the man.  
"Yes, Alexandra, my love?"_

"_You're never going to leave me, are you?"_

_Octavius blinked. "Of course not....What has brought this type of talk on?"_

_Alexandra snuggled into the man's chest, her hand moving to the back of his head and stroking her way through the black hair._

"_I don't want to go a minute without you..." Smiling, Octavius pulled the girl closer, enticing her in for a kiss. Their lips met, both sets of eyes shutting. Alex was still stood on the balcony, hardly wanting to believe her eyes. She _didn't_ want to believe what she was seeing. Was this a dream? Or was it a memory? She never did have a sense for logic, but this just seemed to supernatural, but something in the back of her mind was telling her that it was too realistic to be a dream. It had to be a memory, and somehow she'd just forgotten over time. As she began to wake, the words of her past self echoed in her head ….. _

_'I don't want to go a minute without you....'_

_

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A/N: Phew … kind of a loooong chapter. Thank you so much for reading and thanks to everyone whos reviewed. You don't know how much it means to me X


	5. From This Moment On

A/N: Hey guys :) Sorry its been a while, the chapter I had originally wrote sounded rubbish, so I had to re-write it. Hope you enjoy it :) X

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Chapter 5

Alexandra shot up from her lying position, hyperventilating slightly. That couldn't have been real...that couldn't have happened, could it? She swung her legs around so her feet were touching the floor. Placing her head in her hands, she began to massage her aching temples. This was getting too much for her to handle. She wanted to get to the bottom of this, right here and right now. She rose from the chairs, deciding to take a shot at talking to Octavius. Alex charged to the stairs and sprinted up them two at a time. She was almost to the Diorama room, when she accidentally crashed into the nervous Romen.

With a shocked expression on his face, Octavius tried to speak. "Alexandra! I was just, er.. coming to-" he was stopped when the teenager placed her finger on his lips, silencing him completely.

"No, you don't talk, okay? I do." The girl had a fierce look in her eyes, which only made Octavius crave her more. Her lips were pressed together as she tried to keep her temper under control. "I wanna see Rome. Your Rome, okay? You think you can take me there?" She removed her finger from his lips, the Roman swallowing hard. Instead of grabbing her hand like he wanted, Octavius gestured the girl to follow him. The duo made their way towards Ahkmenrah's room, to find the Pharaoh pacing through his tomb.

Knowing what Octavius had in mind, Alex shouted in. "Ahk?" The king walked forward to meet her and the Roman.

"Alex, my lady. Nice to see you again." Ahkmenrah took the girl's hand from by her side and planted a kiss on it, causing Alex to turn to look at the Roman, with a smug smile on her face. Octavius growled and flicked his eyes up. _'Do not rise up to her actions,' _he told himself, _'She's only doing it to annoy you.' _

"What is it I can help you with, my lady?" Ahkmenrah asked, smiling at the girl.

"Well," she started, "You think you can make me miniature-sized? Octavius is gonna take me around Rome." The Pharaoh nodded sadly, feeling slightly dismal as he got the impression that Alex and Octavius were together, meaning she was 'off the market'. Quickly, he led the pair to the tablet. Ahkmenrah was about to start speaking in Egyptian, when Octavius stopped him.

"Wait,this will not have any effect on Jedediah, will it?"

"I shouldn't think so. He is not here, is he?" Ahk stared back at the Roman. "....May I carry on now, General?" The Pharaoh replied, getting slightly angered. Octavius nodded his head, and moved out of the way, letting Ahk carry on with the spell. Feeling anxious, Alexandra grabbed Octavius' hand as she shut her eyes, not wanting to see the World grow before her. She felt a slight sensation in all of her limbs, her fingers tingling. She opened her eyes, to see a huge Ahkmenrah stood in front of her. The girl gasped and turned to run, but Octavius caught her in his arms.

"Sshh....It's okay. I'm here." Alex didn't move. It felt so right being wrapped in the Roman's arms. For once that night, she felt safe and secure. The girl pulled away, staring straight up into Octavius' deep eyes. He took her shaky hand.

"Come. We have a city to see." The pair walked out of the tomb hand-in-hand, and to Rome. Ancient Rome.

~*~

It may have taken them a while to arrive in the Hall of Miniatures, but Alexandra felt it was well worth it. Octavius led her into the room and over to his Diorama, giving the girl a hand up the rope, which lead to his city. The Roman stood at the bottom, supervising Alexandra. Once she was halfway-up, she looked back down, to see Octavius staring happily at her behind.

"Having a good look are we?" She called down to him, giggling. Octavius gave no reply, only turned away as his cheeks turned a deep shade of red. Alex didn't mind. After all, if her dreams were true, she was sure she'd done worse things with him in Ancient Rome.

Once they were both successfully at the top, Octavius led the girl further into the city. Alex was amazed by the architecture of the buildings, the breathtaking scenery and the romantic atmosphere that seemed to linger around them. She was beginning to feel a lot more comfortable around the Roman General, even though, in reality, she'd only known him for two days. As they walked, the girl observed her surroundings very carefully, trying to match any little detail to her dream. Octavius decided it was probably best to say nothing, and leave the girl to her own thoughts. After walking around for what seemed like hours, Alexandra spotted a large, white palace, with a beautiful tree in its garden...which she recognised immediately.

"That's where we...." she whispered, her voice trailing off.

"-Where we....?" Octavius edged, praying something would trigger a memory in her mind.

Images of Alex's dream flashed in her mind, making her feel dizzy and unbalanced. She could feel her temperature rising and her vision becoming blurred. Her legs suddenly crumbled below her as she lost consciousness from the pressure that expanded in her mind. Octavius anticipated her fall and caught her gently in his arms before she fell to the ground. He stroked his hand through the dark hair, while staring at her perfect face. Not a spot, scar or blemish could be found on the girl's pale face. _'Just like before...' _Octavius thought. Feeling that she would be better in the shade, the Roman hoisted the girl into his arms and carried her over to the large tree, placing her down very carefully, so she was leaning against the trunk. The Roman moved to sit beside her, extending his arm around her shoulders. He sighed deeply.

"This is all my fault," he whispered aloud, "I should not have put so much pressure on you." He rested his head on top of Alexandra's, shutting his eyes and dreaming of their past. "It was wrong of me to treat you like that. I'm sorry, Alexandra..." Tears began to form in his eyes, as reality hit him. She wasn't going to remember anything, was she? Not even something as important as _them._ Where they went and what they did together. Octavius knew it had all happened, it had just been a matter of convincing Alex that his words were true, but he had been unsuccessful.

"Once you wake up, my lady, I shall take you back to Ahkmenrah, turn you back to the way you were before you met me and I shall never breathe a word to you ever again. You have my word, my liege." He turned away, feeling slightly depressed.

Little did Octavius know, Alexandra was slowly but surely opening her eyes, blinking rapidly so her vision would become clear. Glancing around, the girl found herself recognising every detail of the city, even the situation she was in. Everything was had come back to her; the memories, the passion … and the feelings. She remembered past and present. Rome, North Carolina, New York. The girl looked to her right, to see her lover with his back to her.

"Octavius?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, the man turning to face her, eyes red from crying.

"You do not need to explain anything to me, Alexandra. I shall take you back now, if you so wish. I will understand if you do not wish to speak with me ever-" The girl had obviously grown tired of the Roman's incessant rambling and forced her lips onto his. Octavius felt his heart stop. Not just because the love of his life was kissing him, again but because …. well, did this mean Alexandra had regained her memory? He slid his hands downwards to her slender hips, the girl massaging his cheeks with her thumbs. After a few more hot moments, Alex broke away, smiling.

"Hey," she joked, "remember me?"

Octavius laughed. "How could I forget you, my love?" They sat in silence for a few tender moments, just staring into the others' eyes, before the Roman spoke.

"What do you remember, exactly?" He asked, out of curiosity.

Alex giggled. "Well.....I remember our endless afternoons together in your palace, the secret places you took me....and the feelings we felt." She stopped to smile. "I remember, one time, you getting a nasty cut on your hand....and feeling sick 'cos of _all _the blood." She laughed, while Octavius blushed. That was the most romantic thing she could come up with? Blood?

"There was _a lot _of blood" If you had not frightened me like you did, then I would not have dropped my sword."

"Yeah, you kinda tried to catch it with your bare hand." Alexandra covered her mouth, holding back her giggles. Octavius grinned.

"Yes, that is correct." _Finally!_ She knew who he was. After a few moments of being snuggled into one another, Alex spoke again.

"I feel kinda weird, actually. This is like having two lives in one head." The girl pressed her hand to her forehead. "Why couldn't I remember all of this before?" The Roman turned to look into her eyes.

"I would guess that it is because it had been such a long time since you encountered anything to do with Ancient Rome, it was simply lost in your memory."

"But I... I don't feel any different."

Octavius kissed her gently on her cheek. "You should not feel any different. You are the same woman whom I was in love with in Ancient Rome. I would not want you to change."

"I guess so, but what'll happen to me now?" All of this was a little daunting for her. Octavius smiled sweetly at her.

"You shall stay exactly the way you are, my love. You're you, and that's all I'll ever want you to be." The girl smiled, knowing that everything was going to be okay. The pair leaned back against the tree, finally back in one another's company.

~*~

Jedediah lay awake in his bed, which was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as the nights went by. Octavius had commanded him to stay in the bed, until he was fully healed and felt no pain at all. He admitted to himself, and _only _himself, that he felt only felt _slightly _better. His arms, legs, back and head still ached like hell whenever he attempted to move. 'Bored' just didn't cut just how uninterested and fatigued he was. Octavius had left to talk to Alexandra two hours ago, the cowboy wondering how the Roman was progressing. He heard the unzip of the tent and glanced at the entrance, William standing before him with, what looked like, two large sticks in his hand.

"You feelin' alright today, Jed?" the young brunette asked, perching himself on the end of Jedediah's bed. The blond shrugged.

"Alright, yeah. You heard from Octavius?"

Will shook his head. "Nah, that's why I came 'ere. You wanna go 'n' find him?" The boy held the sticks up in the air. Both of them had been carved neatly out of wood, with a varnish coating added to them. Crutches. Both had been shaped horizontally at the top to fit into Jedediah's armpits and an another horizontal pole slightly further down for him to grip. William had brought them for the injured cowboy to use to help him walk. The boy knew how bored Jed had been the past couple of nights, and felt that it would be good for him to get out of the stuffy tent.

Jedediah laughed. "You'd better get over 'ere and help me get out then. Don't think my body can take another minute in this here bed!" William smiled. Some people never change, do they? He shuffled over to Jed, grabbing the blond's forearm tightly. Jedediah inhaled deeply, getting ready for the pain to strike. He propped himself up on his elbows and forced himself upright, his biceps burning. As quickly as he possibly could, Jed swung his legs around and off the edge of the bed, William being brisk and placing both crutches underneath Jed's arms. The injured man gritted his teeth as he forced his legs to obey him. He stood, shakily, using all his might to take some of the pressure from his throbbing calves by pushing down as hard as he could onto his wooden crutches.

"W-well, I'm up." Jedediah forced a smile at his friend.

"Yeah you are! You want me to come with ya to find Octavius?" Will placed Jed's beloved hat onto his head, covering up the messy blond hair. The boy then reached for Jed's arm, but the older man pulled away.  
"Nah, you're OK. I can manage." Deciding to leave his boots, Jedediah limped towards the exit and out, feeling the artificial light burn down on his face. He hopped towards the crossing to Rome, hoping that everything had gone smoothly for Octavius.

After many pain-endured minutes, Jedediah finally arrived in the centre of Rome. Glancing around, he saw many Romans going about their daily business, a few of the women smiling at him as they strolled by. Having no clue as to where Octavius was, the cowboy decided to limp around for a while until he found the General. He came to, what looked like, a large palace, the garden neatly decorated with flowers and trees. He smiled to himself, as he admired the beauty of the home. Jed turned to stagger away when he heard laughing coming from inside the garden. _'Octavius?' _he asked himself. Trying as best he could, he attempted to see into the middle-distance. Squinting slightly, he saw two people sat underneath one of the largest trees in the garden, arms around one another. Jed moved forward, creeping closer to the pair. Now only a few meters away, he realized that it was indeed Octavius and Alexandra. A huge grin then appeared on his face as he became overwhelmed with happiness for his friend. Young Miss Alex had obviously regained her memory and fallen back in love with Octavius. As quickly as his aching legs would carry him, he scurried over to the duo, still smiling. The couple noticed him straight away and rose from their seated positions., running as fast as they could to the injured man.

"Jedediah!"

The cowboy heard both Alex and Octavius call his name.

"You're okay!" The Roman leapt at Jedediah, wrapping his arms around the blond's neck, the brown eyes wanting to burst with tears of joy.

"Course I'm okay! Nothin' brings me down without a fight." Jedediah smiled proudly, before giving a slight tip of his hat to the girl.

"You alright, Alex?"

She said nothing, only stepped forward and hugged the cowboy tightly, being careful not to injure him any further. "Thank you, Jed," she whispered into his ear, a couple of blond hairs tickling her nose.

"What for? I ain't done nothin' but lie in bed for the last few nights..." Alexandra leaned forward and kissed his gently on his cheek, making the cowboy blush.

"For being supportive of Octavius. He wouldn't have even uttered a word to me if you hadn't of...well....forced him to."

"Aww shucks, Alex. You don't need to be thankin' me for that. I kinda enjoy bossin' him about, don't I Toga-Boy?" Alexandra giggled at Jedediah's nickname for her lover. She stood opposite the two men, smiling to herself. The girl moved next to Octavius and took his hand. The Roman bent forward a little and kissed her on the lips, passionately. Jedediah flicked his eyes up, before hitting Octavius in the ribs with his crutch.

"C'mon. I think I need to sit down for a bit in that there shade."

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A/N: Phew....chapter done. Its another long one :) Be back with an update soon and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Should I carry on or not? Thanks so much for reading X


	6. Truly, Madly, Deeply

A/N: Chapter update! Sorry it was a while. No excuses this time, thought. I'm just gonna get on with it. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Haven't done one in a while, so just to let you know... I don't own Night at the Museum. If I did, there would so be a third one out now :)

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Chapter 6

The trio lay together underneath the tree, feeling as if everything was back to 'normal'. Alexandra lay in the middle of the two men, her right hand entwining neatly with Octavius'. The sweat flowed down Jedediah's face, as misguiding thoughts began to unravel in his mind. _'What am I gonna do now? Ockie's got Alex now, he ain't gonna bother with me no more. No more long car rides, no more talk of battle....I'ma really gonna miss you, Ockie.' _The cowboy turned his head to left, away from the couple, not wanting to see them kiss. Alexandra noticed Jedediah's movement and placed her hand on top of his gloved one.

"Hey. You OK, Jed?" The cowboy turned back and stared into the girl's icy blue eyes, which reminded him of his own.

"Yeah, just achin' a bit. Don't you be worryin' about me. You two got each other now. I swear I won't be gettin' in yer way...." Jedediah's voice trailed off, causing Octavius to sit up.

"Whatever do you mean by that? Are you trying to imply that we were going to abandon you now?" The Roman tried to catch Jed's eye, but his hat was too low over his eyes. "You can think again, my friend. I would never leave you." Alexandra smiled and nodded in agreement. Octavius stood up, a sudden expression of sadness painted on his face.

"It is almost sunrise," he said, glancing out of the diorama, and towards on of the windows in the room. Alexandra stood up, the couple then helping the injured cowboy to his feet. The girl sighed. "I suppose I'd better get back to my Uncle Larry..." Alex stepped forward, and pulled Jed into a heart-felt embrace. "Goodnight Jed."

"'G'night miss." The cowboy hugged back as tightly as he could, without causing any of his muscles to burn. He gave a slight nod of his head to the girl as Octavius led her away, the Roman's arm wrapped neatly around her waist. Walking out of the garden, exiting Rome, climbing down the rope and into Octavius' car, the pair were in silence, not knowing what to say. Alexandra glanced over to her newly-found lover every now and again, Octavius being unresponsive, and keeping his hands tightly wrapped around the steering wheel. The Roman drove relatively slow to the Pharaoh's tomb, not wanting to say goodbye to Alex. The car skidded to a violent halt when they arrived. Neither of them moved.

"Octavius.....I know it's hard to say goodbye, but it's only until tomorrow night." The girl leant forward and kissed him gently on his cheek.

"It seems I have only just found you …. and now I have to say goodbye." Octavius could not stop the tears the flowed freely down his face. "Its not fair!" he yelled through gritted teeth. Alexandra was shocked. She could not remember the last time Octavius had become angry. This was so out of character for him. The girl placed her hand on top of his.

"I know you're upset.... and I don't want to leave you either, but its not like you're never gonna see me again, is it?"

"I suppose not...." Octavius wiped his face clear of the tears.

"See? Its okay." Alex did not hesitate, as she forced her lips on to the Roman's, craving his touch. Tongues battled for domination, while hands caressed bodies.

"...Until tomorrow night, my love," Octavius managed to whisper. Alex pulled away from the kiss and got out of the car.

"Goodnight, Octavius."

"No, Alexandra. Good day...." His eyes glistened with passion as she smiled at him. The girl walked to the tablet, which was still positioned on the floor. Before placing her tiny hand onto it, she turned around to see Octavius crying, still sat in the miniature car. The sight of her lover in this state melted her heart. She winked and smiled at him before touching the tablet. A white light emitted from it, blinding her for a moment or two. She felt her heart rate increase as her limbs tingled and burn. Blue eyes opened, and glanced around, to find the World as it should be, with a normal sized Ahkmenrah standing in front of her. The little car was nowhere in sight. Octavius had obviously gone back to Rome to retake his position for the remainder of the day.

"I see you are back," the Pharaoh asked. "Is everything alright, my lady?"

Alex smiled. "Everything's wonderful...." She turned and scooted out of the tomb, eager to tell her Uncle of her adventure and newly-regained memory.

~*~

Larry stood at the front doors, Alex's coat in hand. Where had she got to now? The sun had just begun to shine through the windows, casting shadows throughout the museum, meaning that all of the inhabitants had converted back into their sleeping form. Suddenly, the night guard heard shouting.

"Uncle Larry! Uncle Larry!" Alexandra charged down the stairs and straight into the man's arms. "Octavius was right! He showed me Ancient Rome and I-I-I remember! Yeah, I know! That means I was an Roman girl, like 2000 years ago! But I'm like a reincarnation of her, but I've got all her memories!" The girl spoke very quickly, confusing her Uncle.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Alex, slow down!" He exhaled deeply, before asking a question. "What was that about Octavius being right?"

As they walked home in the morning sunshine, Alexandra explained her experiences that she had had the previous night, making sure she didn't leave out any important details. Larry could hardly believe what he was hearing. One minute Alex couldn't stand being in the same building as the Roman General and next, she was falling in love with him and didn't want to be apart. The pair arrived at Larry's apartment, the girl skipping happily up the stairs, through the front door and into the living room. Sitting down on the sofa, Alex smiled to herself. Never before had she felt so happy. She did not feel any different, it was only as if a part of her had been asleep for a very long time and suddenly, she was awake, ready to embrace the new world. Feeling tired, the girl rose from the sofa and walked to her cramped bedroom. Flicking a switch on, light illuminated the room. The walls, carpet and bed were all purple, each coloured a different shade. Posters of various bands dominated most parts of the walls. Jumping and landing on her tiny bed, Alex lay on her back, dark brown hair almost covering all of her face and purple streaks falling over her eyes. Only one thing was on her mind. Octavius. Images of the Roman General flashed through her mind, memories of the two of them replaying again and again. The girl's young heart sped up as she thought of Octavius lying beneath the warm sun, helmet and armour removed...smiling.

"Alex! You need some sleep! Lights out, now," Larry called from the hallway, dragging the girl from her thoughts. She threw her clothes off as quickly as she could, changing into her pyjamas: blue shorts and a navy t-shirt with the word 'Dreamer' written in white across the middle. Cuddling down underneath the bed-covers, Alexandra ran a hand through her hair, using her fingers as a brush. She smiled as she licked her lips. She could still feel a sensation tingle through them, as if Octavius was kissing her there and then. The girl laughed out loud.

"Alex! Now, please!"

She smiled mischievously, knowing that she had angered her Uncle. She flicked off the light before replying.

"Sorry! Goodnight, Uncle Larry!"

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A/N: And that's it for this chapter. Hope you liked it and could you review? Please? I really love it when you do :)


	7. In Pieces

_A/N: Hey guys, sorry its been a while, but this is kind of a long chapter so it sort of makes up for it :) I've had to delete the original of this chapter from this, as it seemed a little too complicated for my liking, so I've altered it and posted it again._

_Firstly, I must apologise in advance if any of the information I have used in this chapter is inaccurate. I'm not an American, so I have no idea what the Law is over there. I just kinda made some of it up to fit in with my plot. Secondly, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review, or favourite my story....You guys rock :) Lastly, I hope you enjoy this cos I had fun writing it._

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_Chapter 7

Alexandra was awoken suddenly by a loud and violent knock on the front door. She heard Larry rush to the door, and open it, slowly. She yawned, rubbing her stiff neck with her warm hand. How dare someone disturb the sweet dreams she was having of General Octavius. She could hardly believe that it had been _**two glorious weeks**_ since she had met the Roman General, and rekindled her romance with him. He was all she could think about, and she had also become close with the cowboy, Jedediah. She enjoyed nothing more that spending her afternoons dreaming of the two miniatures and the adventures they were going to have the following evening.

Lazily, she climbed out of the bed and peeked around her bedroom door, trying to listen to the conversation that Larry was having with the visitor.

"Are you Mr Larry Daley?" A tough voice asked.

"Er, yeah. Can I help you?"

"I'm Detective Constable Wilson. May I come in?" The man held up an ID and Police badge in front of Larry's slightly-shocked face, confirming his identity.

Alexandra peered around the wall, seeing her uncle stood, wearing his scruffy, black jogging bottoms and a grey hooded-top. His arm was stretched out, welcoming the other man into the small apartment. The detective was a tall, stocky man, dressed in a black suit, his green tie clashing with his eyes. He strolled into the living room as Larry shut the door behind him.

"What can I do you for, Detective?" he asked, one hand on his hip.

"I believe you are caring temporarily for your niece, Alexandra, at this moment in time?" the taller man replied, glancing around the flat. "I have some rather bad news, for the both of you. You may want to sit down." Eager to hear what he had to say, Alex rushed into the living room, taking a good look at the detective. His hair was dark, a few strands hanging down onto his face, covering the pale cheeks. For a man who looked young, fit and strong, he seemed glum, tired and worn; like his eyes had witnessed too much. Alex shifted past him and joined Larry on the couch, the detective standing opposite them. The man sighed before he started.

"I'm afraid there has been an accident, a road-traffic accident to be exact. Two days ago in Los Angeles...involving Claire Daley...." The man paused as he saw Alex's eyes fill with tears at the mention of her mother's name.

"Wh-what?" Larry did not want to believe what he was being told. The girl stood up violently, fists clenched tightly.

"That's not true!" she yelled at the detective, "It can't be!"

"I'm so sorry, Miss Daley, but we've had the best forensic scientists on the case in LA, and the woman has been identified as Ms. Claire Daley." The words seemed to stick in his throat; never had Inspector Wilson had to deliver such tragic news to a family. He felt like he may cry himself. Distraught and broken, Alex ran into her bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her, Larry staying put on the couch.

"How?" he asked, through gritted teeth as the tears streamed down his cheeks.

"A head-on collision with a _Range Rover _caused severe damage to her skull and spine. By the time the ambulance team got into the wreckage...it was too late." Larry buried his head into his hands, while he felt his heart physically shatter into pieces within his rib-cage. Gone? Just like that? It didn't feel real. It _couldn't _be real. The pair sat in silence for a few moments, Larry crying his broken-heart out.

"There is also another issue, Mr Daley," D.C Wilson said, the other man glancing up at him. "As you are not Miss Daley's legal guardian, and her mother is...deceased, she needs to be placed in the care of the closest member of her remaining family. It's the law."

Larry's eyes widened. No, he wouldn't let this happen to her.

"Her Father?!" he shouted, the detective nodding in response. "Do you people know he's an alcoholic?! How can sending Alex to live with him be best for her?!" _'Not only that,' _Larry thought, _'He lives in Philadelphia...that's a big city for such a young girl.'_

"Mr Daley, please calm down. There has been a thorough check that Mr Cooper is suitable and safe for Alexandra to be in the care of, until she is 18."

Larry shook his head. "Patrick Cooper couldn't take care of a goldfish," he growled, "never mind a broken fifteen year-old girl." The Officer stood to leave.

"I am sorry Mr Daley, this is just the way it has to be. Alexandra must be in her legal guardian's care by tonight. She will have to fly out to Pennsylvania later this afternoon." The night-guard said nothing, knowing that his effort to argue would be futile. He nodded, acknowledging the man's instructions. If it was the Law, then there would be no going against it. DC Wilson bowed his head slightly, and left, shutting the door behind him.

Larry sat back on the couch, feeling like the world was watching him cry. Suddenly, a worrying thought sprang to his mind. If Alex had to leave this afternoon, she wouldn't have chance to say goodbye to anyone...not even Octavius: the man who held a very special place in her now-broken heart. This was going to crush her even more. He ran his shaking hand through his dark hair, sighing deeply. Why did life have to be so _cruel_?

Alex was lay on her bed in a foetal position, her eyes red and sore. She didn't want to bare thinking about her Mother in a cold grave. How? How could this have happened? One minute everything was perfect, nobody seemed to have a care in the world, and the next.....her Mother was gone and everything was falling apart. She began to cry again, feeling like the tears were falling from her soul. Larry entered her room, kneeling on the floor next to her bed.

"Alex....I know the pain you're going through, but I need to tell you something, baby," he sniffed, and took an intake of breath. The girl didn't move, her eyes locking with his.

"When I was talking to DC Wilson before, he said....that 'cos I'm not your legal guardian, you need to be placed in the care of your closest relative..... so you have to go and …. live with your Father." It pained Larry so much to tell the helpless, young girl that she was being sent away to live with a man she had never met in her life. A ruthless, selfish man and not to mention an alcoholic. Alex widened her bright blue eyes as she began to sit up, moving very slowly.

"...Wh-what? … No, I can't, I have to stay here...I belong here now," she said, her voice low. Larry shook his head.

"Alexandra, I'm sorry. There isn't anything anyone can do, its the law." As much as she hated it, the man was right. As Larry wasn't her legal guardian, and it was her father who now was, it was in his care in which Alex needed to be placed. She would be battling with forces she couldn't control if she chose to argue. Larry rose from his knees and wrapped his arms around the shivering girl.

She looked up at him, staring into his bright blue eyes.

"What am I gonna tell Octavius?" Her eyes began to fill to the brim with tears, as did Larry's.  
"I'm so sorry, honey....You're not..." He paused, feeling like what he needed to say was going to break what was left of Alex's shattered heart. "You're not gonna see him...." The girl struggled out of his grip and stood before him, fists clenched.  
"No! You can't do that!" She yelled through gritted teeth. "I belong with him! I belong here!"

"I know you do, but there's nothing I or anyone can do. You have to leave this afternoon. They want you to be home tonight."

Larry said no more, feeling like there was nothing he could say that could possibly help. He walked into his bedroom and came back into Alex's room with a large, black suitcase. Opening her wardrobe, the man began to pull clothing from the shelves and drawers, neatly folding them and placing them in her case. Alex didn't try and stop him, nor did she try to run. What would be the point? There was nowhere she could go, nowhere to hide from the truth. She'd only just re-discovered the love of her life and now, she was being forced away from him. She lay back down on her messy bed and felt her heart physically break in two.

~*~

"_Flight 229 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania now boarding at Gate 17, please."_

Larry escorted Alex to her gate, dragging her suitcase behind him. The pair had not spoken since they had left the flat, neither knowing what to say. It seemed that, this time, there was no way out. The pair stopped outside Alex's designated gate.

"Well, suppose you'd better get going. You don't wanna miss your flight." Larry tried his best to smile through the pain he was feeling. His whole body felt tense.

"Actually, I do." Her smile faded into a frown. "Why does it have to be like this, Uncle Larry?" she cried, looking down at her sneakers.

"Hey....c'mon. It's not like we're never gonna see one another again, is it? Philadelphia is only a couple of hours away." He brushed his thumb against her cheek. "Don't worry." The girl leapt forward into her Uncle's arms, feeling like this _was _the last time she'd ever see him. She buried her face into his shoulder, not wanting to let go, but a few seconds later, the man did, his hands holding her cheeks. He forced another smile, Alex copying.

"Now get outta here...." he whispered, brushing a hand through her dark hair.

"Goodbye, Uncle Larry...." Alex swallowed hard before reaching into her coat pocket, bringing out a white envelope. "G-give this to Octavius for me? Tell him...I said I'm sorry." She handed the man the envelope, and grabbed her case from his side. She gave him one last smile, before walking away. She scuffed her shoes along the floor, her bag-pack slung across her shoulders and tears brimming in her eyes. As she climbed up the steps, she looked up into the blue sky, knowing Octavius would still be in his dormant state. "I'll come back for you Octavius....I swear I will..." she whispered aloud, not caring who heard.

Watching his niece walk through the gate and onto her plane was hell for Larry. He rushed over to the large windows, seeing Alexandra climb up the steps into the plane. She turned, waving at him before she disappeared inside the aircraft. The man stayed at the windows, hands in pockets and watching the helpless girl fly off into the distance, alone and awaiting her fate with her father...

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_A/N: Phew...long chapter. I have altered a few things, so the next chapter flows better and its easier to understand :)_


	8. Broken

_A/N: Just to warn you, there's a bit of Jed/Oct in this chapter. You have been warned :)_

_Please enjoy :)_

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Chapter 8

The sky turned darker over the buildings of New York city, a few stars emerging from the murkiness of the clouds in front. Larry stumbled into the museum lobby, sitting himself down at the main desk. His uniform was disorganised and his hair was messy. Mannequins and ancient fossils began to come to life around him, but he didn't flinch. He sat with his head resting in his hands, eyes dull and low. His heart felt heavy in his chest, like someone had stuck a knife in it. How could he have let her go without a fight? There must have been something he could have said or done to make his niece stay. Alexandra was all he had thought about since her departure five hours before. Reaching into his jacket pocket, Larry pulled out the envelope which Alex had handed to and instructed him to deliver to Octavius. No doubt the miniature would rush down in a few minutes, excited to have the love of his life back in his arms once again. The night-guard sighed. He had no idea what Alex had written or put in the envelope, he would just have to wait for the Roman to open it. Larry's ears pricked up when he heard Teddy call his name.

"Lawrence? Are you alright, my boy?" Texas trotted forward, the ex-president sat proudly on his back. The night-guard glanced at the older man, his eyes becoming watered.

"She's gone...." he whispered, shaking his head slightly.

Teddy paused, the shock settling in on him. "I beg your pardon?"

Larry didn't have the strength to repeat the words that pained him so much to say the first time. That very second, both men heard footsteps racing down the marble stairs. The night-guard turned to see a gleeful, and life-sized, Octavius stood before him, armour polished and a large grin on his face. The General looked around the room.

"Where's Alexandra?" he asked. Larry gave no reply, only rose from the chair to stand opposite Octavius. The Roman's face dropped when he saw the state of Larry: eyes cold and face coarse. Hand shaking, Larry held out the envelope addressed to Octavius, the Roman taking it into his own hand. He opened it slowly, pulling out the piece of paper that was inside. It was a letter.

_Dearest Octavius, _

_I guess by the time that you read this, I will be on my plane, landing in Philadelphia to go and live with my father...because my mother has died in a car accident, while she was in LA. It still feels like she's with me, the reality hasn't hit me yet. I don't want it too....._

_I've never met my father before, and from what people have said about him, I'm a little apprehensive to see him. I suppose because I'm his only daughter, he'll be okay with me, and I'm excited to be travelling to such a large city. _

_I am so sorry that I have had to leave you, again. I never wanted this to happen, nobody did. This is just the way things have to be for now. We will be together one day, I know it. Please try and not worry about me, or anything else. _

_Promise me one thing.... don't come for me. It's too dangerous. Stay in New York with Jedediah and the rest of your family, they need you. I'm sure everything will turn out okay._

_Can you keep Jedediah safe for me? He needs you, I know that for sure. Tell him I'll miss him and I'll think about him everyday. Tell Uncle Larry that none of this is his fault. Nobody could have done anything to stop me from leaving... Tell him, I love him, and he's the one who has been like a father to me. _

_I just want you to know that, now.... I can't imagine life without you. Our memories of our past will remain with you, regardless of the distance between us. I'll treasure them forever. _

_No matter what anyone else says, I will always love you and I will always be with you._

_For now, goodbye, my lover._

_Yours now and always,_

_Alexandra x_

Octavius began to cry, a few tears spilling onto the paper. Turning back to the envelope and realising that something was weighing it down, he placed his hand inside. Cold metal brushed across his fingers. Grabbing the object, he pulled it out and stared down at it. Alexandra's necklace, an 'A' for her first initial. Octavius cradled it and the letter in his hands as his legs crumbled from underneath him, causing him to fall to his knees.

Larry did nothing, only stared at the broken General, fully understanding the man's pain.

"What's goin' on here?"

Teddy and Larry turned, to see a life-sized Jedediah stood before them on the marble stairs, his hat tipped slightly over his eyes and holding onto the banister tightly. It was strange....his limbs no longer ached or pained when he moved. _'The spell must've worn off or somthin',' _he concluded.

The cowboy scanned around the room before noticing his best friend crumbled on the floor, the older man shaking quite severely. Seeing that his friends was in great distress, Jed raced forward and knelt next to Octavius, placing his hands on top of the Roman's, in a caring and worried manor.

"What the hell's happened to ya, Octavius?!"

The General gave no reply, only jerked forwards into Jedediah's arms, needing someone … anyone to tell him everything was going to be okay, and that he wasn't going to lose his sanity. The cowboy hugged the Roman back, quite surprised by his friend's sudden actions. He looked up at Larry with a puzzled expression.

"It's Alex...." the night-guard began, "she's had to leave and live with her father because she lost her mother in a car accident..." He voice shook as he spoke, the reality of losing his little sister dawning on him suddenly.

Octavius continued to sob into Jed's shoulder, feeling his arms suddenly turn numb. _'This isn't happening,'_ he told himself, _'Alexandra would not leave without giving me a proper farewell...' _The girl's letter explained very little, only the bare details of her situation. It was clear to the General that she had been forced to go away against her will, meaning she was unhappy, wherever she was. Disregarding Alex's wishes for the Roman to stay in New York, he vowed to himself that he would travel, somehow, to this city named 'Philadelphia' and return his love home to where she belonged. He grasped her necklace piece in his hand and prayed.

'_Please Jupiter, hear my wish....Keep my love safe until I find her.'_

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_A/N: Kind of a short chapter again, but I wanted to get at least something uploaded, rather than keep you waiting for a long time. Hope your enjoying it :)_


	9. Times Like Those

_A/N: Chapter update! There's quite a lot of angst in this chapter, cos I was feeling mean. Hope you enjoy it!_

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Chapter 9

Alex sighed for the millionth time. What was she doing? Sat on a plane surrounded by strangers, flying to live with a man who she'd never met before and away from the love of her life. It didn't really make sense, not to her anyway. She'd had to sit next to an old lady, as there were not many seats on the aircraft, and she didn't feel comfortable sitting next to a middle-aged man who had a shifty look painted permanently on his face. The lady looked and smelt very sweet; that homely smell of cookies baking in the oven on a cold winter's morning. Alex flicked to the next song on her Ipod: '_Far Away'_ by Nickelback. '_How fitting...' _she thought. Sighing again, Alex rested her head back on the seat, dreaming of Octavius. She suddenly felt a pair of old eyes staring at her. She turned her head, to see the elderly lady next to her looking at her with caring eyes.

"Are you alright, my dear? You seem to be sighing a lot," the old lady asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm okay, I suppose." Alex shrugged.

"I've seen that look before," the lady smiled as the girl raised an eyebrow. "You've had to leave someone behind in New York, haven't you?"

Alex scoffed. "Yeah, is it that obvious?"

The lady shook her head. "I don't mean to pry into your personal life but may I ask: was it a man?"

"....Yeah. The most incredible man I've ever met. I didn't even get to say a real goodbye to him." Even just the thought of Octavius made her heart jump. Tears brimmed in her blue eyes. Wiping them away using her sleeve, the lady placed her hand on top of Alex's.

"Don't you be worrying, my dear," she whispered, "I'm sure he understands. If you love each other enough, you don't have to say goodbye. He'll know what you wanted to say..." She smiled in a caring manor. Alex knew the woman was speaking from experience, she could tell by the look in her eyes.

"_Passengers, this is your captain speaking, we are now approaching Philadelphia airport. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing."_

The pair smiled at one another before reaching for their seatbelts. It had only been a short flight, as Philadelphia wasn't far from New York. Alex sat back in the chair, bracing herself for the landing, and the meeting with her father.

~*~

Steadily, Alexandra walked down the steps leading back onto the ground, her bag-pack slung across her shoulder. Something about an airport at night freaked her out. Whether it was the lack of light or the amount of strangers around her, she wasn't sure. Alex glanced around. From where she was stood, she saw the lit skyline of Philadelphia to her left. As she walked into the airport, her stomach began performing flips and spins, making her feel sick. What would she say to her father? There was so much she wanted to know. Why he had left them, what he had been doing with his life … did her still love her?

Once she was inside, Alexandra stood waiting for her suitcase to arrive. With her arms folded and dragging the case behind her, she walked slowly into the main lobby, looking for her father. Larry had told her that there may be the possibility that he would be holding a sign with her name on it. Or, more likely, she would simply recognize him immediately, as she supposedly looked very much like him. Wearily, Alex walked through the lobby, eyes locking onto everyone's face. A mixture of fear and excitement swelled around in her gut.

Suddenly she head someone call her name.

"Alexandra? Is that you, honey?"

The voice was deep, yet strangely soothing to her ears. Alex turned to see a tall and stocky man standing opposite her, his blue eyes tearful.

Immediately, Alexandra knew she was staring at her father. It was like something had hit her, telling her that the man before her was who she was looking for; _Patrick Cooper._

Grinning widely, the girl sprinted forward and straight into the waiting arms of her father.

"I knew it was you..." she said into his shoulder.

"Oh Alexandra," the man replied, "I'm so glad you're here. Now, we can start over and I can be a real father to you..." They hugged again, both crying.

~*~

They walked out of the airport, hand-in-hand, and into Patrick's small, black car. Alexandra was pleasantly surprised; people had said that her father was a violent man who's past consisted, mainly, of alcohol problems. From his appearance, he didn't look like an alcoholic. With brushed black hair; dazzling blue eyes; and a grey suit and tie, he looked quite the opposite. Placing her suitcase in the boot of the car, Alex climbed into the passenger's seat while Patrick started the engine.

The pair sat in silence in the car. Not the awkward type of silence; more of a pleasant silence, filled with excitement and joy. Patrick sighed, gleefully.

"You know, you look just like your mother did when she was your age," he said, glancing over at Alex. She smiled.

"I get that a lot. My Uncle Larry said I do too." The silence resumed its position on them, neither knowing where or when to start the next conversation.

"You're gonna love our house, Alex. It's perfect for us."

"Can't wait," she giggled back, her smile suddenly turning into a frown, the thoughts of losing Octavius and her mother springing to her mind.

Realising that the girl was probably still grieving over the tragic loss of her mother, Patrick tried to be a little more calming towards her.

"So, how have you been?" Patrick asked, glancing over at his daughter.

"Okay, I suppose. I had loads of fun in New York with Larry and...his friends." She averted her gaze from her father to look downwards at her lap. "Loosing mother shook me, but I know she wouldn't want me to be upset..." The man moved one hand from the steering wheel to place in on Alex's knee, rubbing it slightly.

"Don't worry, honey. You're with me now...and I won't let anything happen to you," he smiled, the girl smiling back up at him. She turned away to gaze at the urban-night scenery out of her window.

'_Maybe this isn't gonna be so bad after all," _she thought, resting her chin in one of her hands, elbow resting on her upper thigh. '_I still miss everyone in New York though." _She stared up at one of the puffiest and lightest clouds she could see. _'I love you, General Octavius..."_

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_A/N: End of chapter. I realise there was very little action in this chapter, but it does liven up...You'll see! Thank you for reading and drop me a thought of what you think of the story so far :)_


	10. I'd Come For You

_A/N: There's more Jed and Oct friendship in this chapter, just to warn those of you who disapprove of Jed/Oct relationships. Thank you for reading, and to all of those who have give me support for this story. You know who you are :)_

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Chapter 10

Octavius sat on the bench in the middle of the diorama room, his legs dangling over the edge of the seat. Still being life-size, he rested his head onto the back of the bench, hardly wanting to believe what was happening. He clutched Alex's letter in one hand and her necklace piece in the other, tears still streaming down his face. He had waited so long to have the love of his life back, now she was gone. It all seemed to be so hard to grasp: the reality didn't seem real...he didn't want it to be real. In fact, Octavius wasn't even sure if his heart was actually beating any more. Did he even have a heart? '_I am merely a figurine,' _he thought to himself, _'so does that mean I do not have a heart? I know I have feelings, and I know I must breathe to live...but Alexandra was my air. Does this now mean I cannot live?'_

He was too lost in his own thoughts to notice Jedediah and Larry stride into the room, the cowboy's boots causing his footsteps to echo through the hall.

"Hey, Ockie," the cowboy began slowly, "how ya doin'?"

Octavius turned to look at his friend. "I cannot believe that Alexandra is gone. It doesn't feel right."

"Hey, c'mon. It ain't like she's a million miles away, is it?" Larry added, placing a hand on the Roman's shoulder.

"It feels like it." Octavius scrunched the paper up in his hand, in anger. This wasn't fair, and he wasn't going to stand for it. He stood up, triumphantly.

"I'm going for her," he exclaimed, the expression on his face changing from depressed to determined.

"What?" Larry and Jedediah both asked in unison.

"I am going to this place named 'Philadelphia' and I am bringing Alexandra back home where she belongs."

Larry put his hands up in front of the General's face. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't! For one thing, you don't really _live _during the day AND it's the Law that Alex has to stay where she is!" The night guard blocked Octavius' pathway, not allowing him to take another step.

"Larry, my liege, please move of of my way. Nothing is going to stop me from returning my love back to where she belongs."

Larry looked to Jed for support. Unfortunately, he received none. Instead, Larry found himself being forced out of the way, by Jedediah, clearing Octavius' exit, the Roman then running to find King Ahkmenrah. The cowboy held Larry by the arms, restricting the man's movement.

"Jed!" the night-guard yelled, "what are you doing? You gotta stop Octavius!"

"Ain't no can do, partner," the cowboy replied, as he finally released the other man from his grip. "He loves Alex more than anythin'. He's waited so long just ta be with her again, and now she's gone. If anythin', I'm gonna go help him find her!" With that, Jedediah walked out of the room to join his friend in his quest to find the girl he loved. Larry groaned. He missed Alex too, but travelling to Philadelphia wasn't going to change anything.

_'...Or would it?' _

~*~

'I'm not so sure about this, Octavius. I mean, making miniatures life-size is one thing but making figurines walk outside in broad daylight is completely different!"

Ahkmenrah stood opposite the Roman General in his tomb, tablet in his hand. He shook his head. "I don't think I can do it."

"You must make an attempt," Octavius edged, "I must find a way of being with Alexandra." Ahkmenrah sighed. _'It's my tablet, there must be a way of helping the poor man...' _The king studied the artefact carefully, while Octavius stood and simply watched. He heard rapid footsteps approaching and turned to see Jedediah run into the tomb.

"You ain't goin' anywhere without me, Ockie. Wherever you go, I go," he winked, causing Octavius to smile and blush.

"That's it!" The Pharaoh shouted, suddenly, "I think I may have found a way to make you human for a while." The men stood in silence for a few moments, while Ahk confirmed his results.

"Because there are two of you now volunteering to venture out into the World, I believe the tablet will grant you your wish." Jedediah and Octavius smiled, however their moment of happiness was cut short when the young King began to speak again.

"However, there is one main and big concern that I have for the well-being of you, Jed." Ahk turned to face the men. "If you remember correctly, last time a spell was used on Octavius, Jedediah sustained an awful amount of damage, to his muscles and to his mind. I'm just scared that it'll happen again..."

"Ahk, listen to me. Nothin' scares me outta helpin' my best friend, ya hear? I'm goin' with Octavius to find Alex and nothin' anyone can do is gonna stop me!" Jed threw his arm around Octavius' shoulder, staring at the Pharaoh. "You gonna make us human or what?"

Feeling quite intimidated by the duo, Ahk did as he was instructed and recited an ancient spell, in Egyptian, trying as best he could to make the wishes of the two men come true.

Jed and Octavius, on the other hand, stood motionless together, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, the artefact began to glow, before white lights flared from it, illuminating the two leaders, some of the light reflecting off the Roman's armour. They both groaned, feeling like they had been blinded. Before the light disappeared, all three men heard Larry call into the room.

"Alright! We'll bring Alex back!"

~*~

Octavius blinked rapidly as his vision returned to him. Had the spell worked? He didn't feel any different. He was still standing anyway, which meant he hadn't lost consciousness. Looking to his left, he saw Jedediah stood, limply, next to him, Ahkmenrah's arm around the cowboy's waist. Larry came rushing into the tomb.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, looking the 'miniatures' up and down.

"They are now able to go out into the sunlight and accompany you to get Alexandra," the Pharaoh explained. Larry was about to ask another question when Jedediah groaned in pain. Octavius was quick to his side, placing his arm around Jed, supporting his back.

"I'm okay..." the cowboy managed to say through gritted teeth.

"I told you this may happen-" Ahk began, however he was cut short by Jed.

"And I told you that Octavius wasn't goin' anywhere without me by his side!" The Roman smiled at his friends loyalty. The night-guard stepped forward.

"Alright. We'll take my car but you two have got to promise to be on your best behaviour. No games, okay? That's the real world out there, and it ain't nice. Clear?" The men nodded, before exiting the tomb, leaving the Pharaoh behind. Jed limped outside to the car with Octavius holding onto the cowboy as tight as he possibly could.

_'Man, this pain is even worse than last time....I can barely move my legs...But we gotta get through this. Alex belongs here. C'mon Jedediah, stay strong: for Octavius and Alex.' _

Larry had stayed inside and explained to Teddy what he and the 'miniatures' were planning, leaving him with duty of organising some of the exhibits at the end of the night.

Outside, where Larry's small, red car was parked, Jedediah and Octavius waited next to it, the cowboy really struggling to stand, even with the aid of Octavius. It wasn't the most expensive of cars, but it got Larry from one place to another without any problems. The night guard came rushing out of the building, keys in hand. He pushed the key into the lock and turned, opening the back door for Octavius to help Jedediah in. The blond groaned loudly in pain, as his calf muscles finally giving way, his legs crumbling underneath him. Octavius caught the cowboy in his arms.

"Jedediah, I am not sure that you are able to come with us. You cannot stand on your own."

"I told you, I'm okay! Just help me into the dang car, will ya?!" Jedediah yelled back at Octavius in anger. The Roman shifted his arm around to Jed's back, supporting his spine and neck. The cowboy ducked into the car and collapsed onto the seat and began to pant heavily.

"You get in the back too, Octavius," Larry instructed, "I need you to keep an eye on him." The General simply nodded and climbed in next to his friend. Larry closed the door gently behind him and got into the drivers seat. Starting the engine, he sped off rapidly down the dark road and joined onto a main road, eager to reach their destination as soon as possible. Maybe Jedediah and Octavius needed a wardrobe change before they went into the real world? The Roman would, most certainly and Jed would have to lose his hat. _'He won't like that,' _the night guard joked to himself. Larry was sure he would find something suitable in his apartment. Besides, he needed to head back home anyway: for money.

In the back of the car, Jedediah closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep, his head resting on Octavius' shoulder. The Roman smiled and stared out of the window to his left. Larry clicked a switch and music began to play from one of his CD's, the Roman fascinated by the lyrics of the song. _'How odd,' _he thought, _'the words that are in the music sound like I could be singing it...' _He smiled weakly, before closing his eyes and began to dream ofAlexandra being back where she belonged: in his arms.

_Yes I'd come for you,  
No one but you._

_And I'd fight for you,  
I'd lie its true,  
Give my life for you,  
You know I'd always come for you._

_No matter what gets in my way,  
As long as there's still life in me,  
No matter what remember you know I'd always come for you,  
I'd crawl across this world for you,  
Do anything you want me to,  
No matter what remember you know I'd always come for you,  
You know id always come for you...._

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_A/N: That's it for another chapter. I hope you're enjoying it and review?_


	11. Feels Like Home

_A/N: Chapter Update! As a few of you will be aware, I disliked the title of this story so I've decided to change it. Its less of a mouthful and sums up the plot of the story better. I'd love to know what you think of it. Thank you for reading :)_

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Chapter 11

Dark clouds danced around in the navy-blue sky, blocking the moonlight. The little black car raced down the street and halted at the end, in front of a petite house. Climbing out of the vehicle, Alex studied the new environment. There were only a couple of street lamps illuminating the dark road, as it seemed that not very many other people inhabited the street. Patrick shut his car door behind him and walked, smiling, to the trunk of the car to fetch his daughter's belongings. He had parked the car precisely outside his house; Alex's new home. It wasn't a large or expensive house, but it suited them perfectly. With her mouth agape, the girl studied the house with excited eyes. Detached and narrow, the house stood neatly at the end of the street, a lamp standing directly outside. It was everything Alex dreamed it would be: perfect size, shape and structure. Although, she would have preferred it to be on a less desolate street but these things are never perfect, so she didn't complain.

"Shall we go in?" asked Patrick, taking his daughter's cold hand. He lead Alex up with paved pathway and up to the painted and polished door. Inserting the key, the man pushed the door open slowly, revealing a narrow hallway and a staircase to the left. Walking in, Patrick placed the suitcase at the bottom of the steps and flicked a switch, light then illuminating the hallway. Alex gasped with happiness. The whole corridor was painted a beautiful shade of cream, with various pieces of artwork hanging from the walls. A wooden table was to the left of her; at the bottom of the staircase, a phone and address book sitting upon it.

"It's just you that lives here, right Dad?" Alex asked, turning to her father.  
"Yeah," Patrick replied, "just me. Always have done since I moved to Philadelphia twelve years ago. But it's you and me now, right?" He grinned broadly, the girl then leaping forward into an embrace.

"I'll let you explore while I take your stuff to your new room." With that, Patrick took Alex's suitcase up the stairs, leaving the girl to scout around her new home.

Walking down the corridor, she entered a room which followed the same colour scheme as the hallway: the living room. A brown, leather couch dominated most of the room, leaving little space for the TV and coffee table. The television wasn't huge, but it fitted perfectly in the corner of the room, adjacent to the window. She exited the living room when he father called her.

"Alex, you want to come and check out your new bedroom?" Gleefully, the girl ran up the stairs, her bag pack jumping around on her back. Once she was at the top, Alex noted three rooms; a bathroom and two bedrooms. Patrick emerged from behind one of the doors, inviting Alex in. Walking forward nervously, she held her breath, unsure of what to expect.

Purple. Curtains, wallpaper, carpet, bedding, accessories; each a different shade of Alex's favourite colour. The bed was positioned neatly in the corner of the room, parallel to the small window. Smiling, she strode in and placed her bag on her bed. Spinning around slowly, Alex looked at every piece of furniture there was. Brown, wooden drawers and a wardrobe were positioned opposite the bed. '_Big enough to fit all my clothes in,' _Alex thought.

She turned, and was about to thank her father for his extreme generosity when something caught her eye. A purple lotus flower, for some odd reason, was placed on top of her bedside table, most likely for the pleasant aroma. Her mind flashed back to her warm and long afternoons with General Octavius in Ancient Rome. He would always place a purple lotus flower in her long brown hair, before they went out into the city or to roam in the meadows. Octavius_. _She hadn't given him much thought since she left the airport with Patrick. Guilt suddenly hit her. The Roman was the man of her dreams, how could she _not _have thought about him? Alexandra would have probably cried there and then if it weren't for her father asking her a question.

"You like it?" Patrick asked, finally. Alex turned to face him.

"I love it," she replied, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much, Dad."

Patrick hugged back. "You don't need to say thank you, Alexandra." He positioned his head where he could look his daughter straight in her eyes. "I love you, sweetie...and nothing could ever change that."

Alexandra smiled. She could hardly believe it: her father saying he _loved_ her...like music to her ears. A month ago she had been apprehensive, wondering if she would ever meet her father, and now, she was wrapped comfortably in his warm arms. An alcoholic? She didn't think so. Patrick looked, smelt and acted too proper to be a man who's life revolved around drink. '_Whatever happened in the last fifteen years has been forgotten about,' _she thought, _'everything is, and will be, alright from now on. I know it...'_

She couldn't have been more wrong.

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_A/N: Short chapter, I know and I apologize. I've been busy with other smaller fics that I am also working on. I'd love to hear what you think of this so far...review? _


	12. Against All Odds

_A/N: Update. There's more Jed/Oct in this chapter...I can't help it. I'm naturally a Jed/Oct slash lover...or is it canon? Whatever :) They're supposed to be close x) _

_Also, I apologize for the shortness of this chapter and if any of the information I've written is incorrect. I am not an American so have no idea about its many great States. I would also like to thank the other authors on the 'Crazy Night at the Museum' Forum. You guys really make me laugh and you rock. Hope you enjoy this :)_

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Chapter 12

Deep, brown eyes stared out of the car window and into the night. Snow had begun to fall from the grey clouds above, the strange weather fascinating Octavius greatly. It was mid-December, after all. The majority of people who lived on the street had begun to place Christmas decorations on their windows, doors and in gardens. Jedediah had fallen asleep, his head conveniently resting on the Roman's shoulder. Larry had driven to his flat to collect some key items: money, essential clothes and road map. Octavius sat in silence, waiting for Larry to return, the Roman occasionally glancing at the weight on his shoulder. It was odd; seeing Jedediah quiet for once and being able to stare at him without the cowboy retaliating with a sarcastic comment. Octavius also found it rather strange that he could look at the cowboy's face without being drawn in by the brightness of Jed's blue eyes. Jedediah breathed slowly, his eyelids flickering every now and again, signalling to Octavius that he was in a deep sleep: most likely from the effect of the Tablet.

The Roman's mind then began to wander: just why was Jedediah affected by the magic of Ahkmenrah's Tablet? Octavius felt no different, a little dizzy afterwards maybe, but that soon wore off within a few minutes. His mind suddenly cast back to the events which occurred at the Smithsonian in Washington. With all that chaos that had gone on in the past couple of months (Larry returning as night-guard; the Museum returning to its original opening hours and Alexandra coming back into his life), Octavius had completely forgotten to check on Jed, just in case the cowboy had been emotionally effected by being trapped in the hourglass. Clearly now, Octavius realized that maybe Jed _was _emotionally drained after being in the hourglass.

An even bigger realization then hit Octavius suddenly. Kahmunrah and the hourglass...could they be the reason why Jedediah can't handle the magic of the Tablet? What that Egyptian Pharaoh did to the cowboy could have damaged Jed's spirit; meaning he was too weak to handle the full extent of the power of the Tablet. '_I was too busy with other arrangements and rekindling my romance with Alexandra to even acknowledge his feelings...' _Octavius thought to himself.

The car door opened and Larry climbed in, wearing a fresh set of clothes and carrying a bag. He turned around to face Octavius and Jed.

"Alright, I've got money and a small supply of food for the journey. I've also got you guys some...er, more modern-looking clothes. Make you guys blend in a little more." Octavius smiled and nodded, his mind too busy thinking about Jedediah's condition and the excitement of seeing Alex again.

"Larry, my liege, may I ask you a question? About Jedediah?" The Roman glanced at the cowboy, whom was still sleeping soundly.

"Sure," Larry shrugged, smiling to one side of his mouth.

"Do you think that Jedediah is badly affected by the power of the Tablet because of what happened in Washington...?" Octavius spoke slowly, not sure of how Larry would reply.

"Like..what? Because he was in the hourglass?" The night-guard looked slightly blank.

"Yes, meaning that his spirit has been weakened because he was so afraid?"

Larry stared back at the Roman, his mind putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Obviously, with Octavius being a Roman, he believed strongly in the whole idea that everyone has a 'soul' or 'spirit' and, normally, Larry would bypass the theories completely, but now...it seemed to be the only logical explanation.

"I guess so. We'll just have to watch him, and maybe the side-effects will wear off when he wakes up." The night-guard smiled briefly at Octavius, who removed his helmet and placed it on the floor and lay his own head on top of Jedediah's. Larry gripped the steering-wheel tightly, rubbing the material forcefully with his thumbs, trying to release some tension. '_Well, this is it. Here we go.' _He pulled off gently and joined the midnight traffic. Carefully, he took the map out of his bad and placed it on the empty seat next to him. He'd only ever been to Philadelphia once before, but that was two years ago when Nick had an ice hockey game there. '_An hour and a half to get there....with a few stops in between 'cos no doubt Jed will be fascinated with modern life. Then, we have to figure out _how _we're gonna find Alex.' _He planned the journey in his mind, and finally, he sighed deeply. They were going against all odds, but they had to at least give it a try.

But, a thought stood out in his mind:

Even if they did manage to find Alex...who says she'll want to come back...?

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_A/N: Another chapter done. I just wanted to do a short one 'cos I felt like I needed to explain a few things. Hope I've tied any loose ends that I may have left open, for now. Thanks for reading :)_


	13. Thinking Of You

_A/N: I'm back! *evil laugh* Been on holiday and them my laptop decided to die on me. Not good...Anyway, everything's fine and I'm looking forward to continuing with this fic. Hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you for reading :)_

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Chapter 13

"What's with all them bright lights over there, Gigantor? They're beginnin' to creep me out..." The cowboy's eager blue eyes darted across the night sky, trying to take in all of the new shapes and sights.

Larry sighed. "They're buildings Jed, really tall ones. Some are Christmas lights too...Just don't worry about them."

Ever since he'd woken up thirty minutes ago, Jedediah had been asking question after question, his mind obviously fascinated by the modern world. He sat numbly against Octavius, the pain riveting through him. Once again, his muscles burned and his mind felt heavy, but as with his iron will, Jed tried his best not to let his weakness show through.

Octavius had to admit, even in the foul mood he was in at present, that the whole new world mesmerized him greatly. Flashing lights, blinding signs and new smells, however his mind was only set on their goal of getting to Alexandra and persuading her to come back to New York. Larry glanced at his watch: 3:17am. They should arrive in a hour or so. He wasn't sure what they were going to do once they reached their destination or just how they were going to locate Alex's house. '_Guess we'll just have to wait and see...'_

The house already felt like home for Alex. She lay in her father's arms on the leather couch in their living room, the TV playing away to itself: some breaking news report about a jail-break or something. Neither of them were paying any attention to it. A dash of moonlight sneaked through a gap in the curtains, casting a shadow of the lamp on the wall opposite. She sighed. Although the house _felt _like home, Alexandra couldn't help but feel a void inside her; like something was missing. Or, maybe it was the pizza she'd eaten somewhat three hours ago that was giving her an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

Her heart jumped as she felt a sudden connection, a warm wind whispering through her hair; like something, someone was coming.

"Think its past your bed-time, don't you think Alex, darling?" Patrick interrupted, running hid hand through her hair.

"Yeah, think so," Alex replied, yawning slightly, "Feel kind of jet-lagged, you know?" The pair rose from the sofa, Alex then trundling up the stairs and into her new bedroom. Closing the door over slightly, she whipped her jeans and top off and threw her PJ's on as quick as she could before her father came up. Her pyjamas were the same ones that she'd wore in New York; the word 'dreamer' written on her top, reminding her of Octavius. It was as if the Gods themselves were sending her subtle reminders of her lover, to keep him fresh in her memory and remind her that he still existed. A strong image of the General stood out in her imagination, the man standing in his professional army position: one arm on his helmet, saluting and the other resting on his sword. After spending the better part of 15 days with the Roman, Alex felt like she was in Hell without him by her side.

"Hey, you okay, Alex, honey?"

Alexandra looked up to see her father standing in the doorway, a glass of water in his hand. He walked in and placed the glass down on her beside cupboard, smiling at her.

"Dad? Can I ask you something?"

Patrick nodded as he sat down next to Alex on her bed.

"Have you ever missed someone so bad, it hurts? I mean, like you feel your chest tighten everytime you think about them? And, deep down, you know, realistically, you'll never see them again?" Alex realised, she was thinking more about Octavius than her mother. Maybe it was the fact that she had her father in her life now? She wasn't sure. Alex turned her attention back to Patrick's answer to her many questions.

"Yeah, actually: when I first left your mother. I had problems, drinking problems. We knew that and I guess everyone else did too. It controlled my life and ruined your mother's. It got me into some serious trouble too. I got involved in this huge fight one night, mainly me being the one who was getting beat up," Patrick laughed slightly, "got one guy sent to jail for an extreme violent assault." He paused as his smile faded. "Once our divorce was settled, the reality finally hit me. I knew I couldn't live without without her: but everyone in our town knew what I had become. The pain became unbearable, knowing Claire was living without me and you were going to grow up without your real father in your life. So, I moved away: got help for my drinking problems; got back on the straight and narrow for good; somehow got a job as a newspaper reporter and that's that." He sighed, finally. "Why do you ask? I guess you're missing your mother? I'm so sorry, honey."

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I left a lot of people who I cared about in New York too...one guy in particular."

"A guy, eh? What was his name?

Alex blinked. How on earth could she answer _that _question? 'Octavius' wasn't a very popular name nowadays, and she could hardly think of any other names in this moment in time. She gulped, hard.

"Oscar...his name was Oscar." _'_

_That's it? The best you can come up with is 'Oscar'? Good going!' _her mind said to her. Surprisingly, Patrick didn't bat an eyelid. Instead, he moved closer to his daughter and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, cuddling her closely.

"Well, maybe we could take a trip to New York in the springtime? You'll be able to see your Uncle Larry and this 'Oscar' boy again," he winked.

"Yeah, sounds good," Alex yawned.

Patrick got off of the bed while Alexandra climbed in and settle under the covers. He kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Goodnight, princess. Sweet dreams." He flicked the light off and shut the door slightly, Alex left alone in the dark; a feeling she was beginning to become used to. The void inside her was beginning to become unbearable. She rubbed her face with her hands. What could she do? She was 15 years old, for God's sake. No one would listen to her if she told them the truth about her being the reincarnation of a Roman girl. Heck, she'd be sent down for being emotionally unstable and insane. Waiting would have to do for now...

The wind whistled through the open window, blowing the curtains apart, giving Alex a faint view of the city. Suddenly, something creaked below her window, making her jump. Quickly jumping from her bed and grabbing a handy torch from her bedside drawer, she sped to her window, poked her head out and looked down, shining the torch onto everything that moved in the slightest way. The bushes rustled unnervingly, Alex's heart beating at an unsteady pace. Suddenly, a gloved hand and a blood-shot eye came into Alex's view, causing her to gasp rather severely and stagger backwards onto her bed. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she ran out of her room, down the hall and into Patrick's room.  
"Dad! There's someone in the bushes outside! I just saw them!" Alex's breathing was unsteady, which scared Patrick.

"Alright, alight. It's okay. I'll go and have a look..."

After covering his toned body with a black jacket, Patrick made his way down the stairs and unlocked the front door, his daughter glued to his back. With a trusty flashlight in his right hand, Patrick edged out of the front door and sneaked towards the bushes, his shining blue eyes glaring at everything that moved ever so slightly. The bushed rattled again, causing Alex to gasp again and Patrick to leap at them, sticking his arms in them.

"There's nothing in there, Alex...It might just have been a bird you saw."

Alexandra nodded unconvincingly as her father guided her back inside and shut the door behind them, the girl making sure that Patrick locked it again.

Once back in bed, Alexandra couldn't take her eyes off of the window. There was no doubt in her mind that there was someone in their garden; someone with a bloodshot eye, this making Alex think they were up to no good. Eventually, Alex's dark thoughts sent her to sleep, and into the world of her imagination...

"_Yee-hawww! See, Okcie? I told ya we'd find her!"_

"_You said nothing of the kind, Jedediah! I believe it was my optimism that kept us soldiering on." Alexandra opened her eyes to find two silhouettes standing over her She blinked. 'That voice...that authoritative, alluring voice..." _

"_Good evening, my love," the strong voice said._

"_Octavius! Oh my God, you're here!" The girl sat up to hold her lover in her arms again, when he stopped her, his hands in front of her face._

"_Hang on a second, Alexandra. This is a dream..._your _dream. I am not really here, neither is Jedediah. We are only figures of your imagination."_

"_But if you're my dream, then you are as real as I want you to be, right?" She asked, a puzzled look on her face._

_Jedediah shook his head as he and Octavius stood up from their crouching positions. "Afraid not, Miss Alex. No matter how real we seem, we still ain't in reality."_

_Their bodies began to fade as Alex sat up, their smiles still standing strong on their faces._

"_No, wait! Octavius, Jed...don't leave me! No! _Please_!' she screamed, as her lovers voice echoed through her dream world:_

"_Wait for me, my love. I am coming for you..."_

Alexandra bolted upright in her bed, sweat running down the bridge of her nose. Tonight wasn't going well for her. She swung her legs around, dangling her feet off the edge of the bed and rubbing her face with her hands. The words of the dream Octavius rang clearly in her ears:

_'I am coming for you...'_

Alex shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the alluring sound of his powerful voice. '_That can't be true,_ she thought, _'Octavius is a miniature in the Museum of Natural History in New York City...He can't possibly be coming for me..."_

She averted her gaze to the open curtains to her right, a full moon coming into her view.

_'Or can he...?'_

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_A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. Again, sorry for the delay. Keep reading, it's gonna get better :) Oh, by the way, you think you could take the poll on my profile page too? Cookies if you do ;) Thank you -x-_


	14. Shadows

Chapter 14

"Jedediah, will you please cease with your unnecessary question asking?" Octavius gave the cowboy a slight pat on the thigh, being wary of Jed's 'injuries'.

"Sheesh, Ockie, don't you be gettin' all moody with me. Anyway, how come you ain't fascinated with all this new stuff?" The cowboy slapped Octavius on the arm, much harder.

"Because, my easily amused friend, I am too busy concentrating on fulfilling our goal: rescuing Alexandra from certain dangers in the form of her problematic father."

The car fell silent, Larry biting down on his lip. The boys were getting stressed and agitated. Perhaps it would be a good idea for them to stop somewhere and get a couple of hours of sleep. He pulled the car down into a large service station and parked, turning the engine off.

"Get some sleep guys, okay? Just a couple of hours then we can figure out how we're gonna find Alex, alright Octavius?" Larry nodded at the Roman, who smiled weakly back at him. Jedediah didn't question Larry's orders and collapsed his head onto Octavius' shoulder, his eyes closing immediately. The Roman scowled, obviously annoyed at the fact that they were stopping for rest; Alex could be in serious trouble right now and the best that Larry could come up with was to sleep? He's her Uncle, for Jupiter's sake, how could he possibly sleep knowing his niece is in danger? Octavius growled quietly, as he turned away from Jed and Larry. Gently closing his eyes, he pictured Alexandra and himself back in the meadows of Ancient Rome, neither of them having a care in the world. '_Hopefully,' _he prayed silently, _'everything will back to normal in 24 hours.' _With that, he let his mind slip into a deep slumber: dreaming of his lover.

"Octavius, no!"

Alex's eyes shot open as she sat upright in her bed, he fingers entwining tightly around her bed covers. Her dreams were beginning to become unbearable; they seemed so realistic. Maybe that was the problem...or was it the fact that there seemed to be an image of Octavius carved in her mind: the man standing before her, breathing the same air, seeing the same things again. She dropped back onto her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. She knew she was trying her best to forget everything about New York, but the Gods obviously weren't having any of that.

Suddenly, there came a crash from downstairs. Alex turned her head to look at her alarm clock: 04:13am, 19th of December. It was far too early for her father to be awake. As if on cue, Patrick appeared through the door, a black hoodie and grey tracksuit bottoms covering his body, a baseball bat clenched in his left hand.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What the hell was that?"

"Haven't the foggiest. Stay there, I'm going downstairs to check." With that, Patrick left the room and walked unsteadily down the cold stairs, flicking on lights as he went. Alexandra stood at the top of the stairs, watching her father descend, her heart pounding out of her chest. Images of the gloved hand and blood-shot eye etched in her mind, making her stomach lurch. Patrick gripped the bat tighter, ready to swing at any intruder. Finally, he reached the bottom and stared down the hallway. Before he could make a move for the light-switch on his right, an icy but familiar voice rang out to him.

"Hello, Patrick. Missed us?"

Both Alex's and Patrick's heart both stopped at the word 'us', clearly meaning 'more than one person' was present. A tall, scruffy man stepped out of the darkness towards Patrick, a cigarette hanging out one side of his mouth.

"What the hell are you doing her, Joel? Last time I saw you, you and your sad little gang were rotting under a prison roof." Patrick laid the baseball bat over his left shoulder, his hand still gripped around it, as if waiting for the right moment to strike; regardless of how many men he was up against.

"You not been watching the news, Cooper? Jail break, Phil, Ty and I have friends in high places, you see. You've no idea what you've been missing." Two man emerged from behind Joel; the three of them towering over Patrick.

The realisation of the identity of the three men then struck Alex: the story her father had told her of the men who were put in jail for beating him up and, more recently, the jail-break all over the news. _Oh, this can't be good. _She stood at the top of the stairs, listening to their conversation.

"Get out," Patrick ordered sharply, "now."

Phil, the biggest of the men, shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon, Pat. You know us better than that. We don't leave until the job is done." He stepped forward, his bald head shining in the light. Raising a fist, the man brought it down on the bridge of Patrick's nose, causing immediate bruising and sending the black haired man completely dizzy. The smaller man yelled in pain as he crumbled to the floor, Alex obviously hearing. The scream rifled through her ears, piercing through heart. She'd never heard anyone cry out like that.

"Dad!" As soon as the word left her mouth, Alex clamped her hand down over her mouth, the house falling silent. Joel, Phil and Ty shot each other a sharp glance, while Patrick sat quivering with fear on the floor. Joel walked forward, pulling Patrick up by his hair.

"Who you got hiding upstairs, Cooper? A little girl by the sounds of things." Joel stared at Patrick with his menacing brown eyes, the smaller man staying silent. Throwing him back onto the floor with a broken nose, Joel turned to his henchmen.

"Ty, search the house. Bring the girl to me. Phil, take Mr. Handsome into the kitchen and make sure he can't get away." The trio spilt up, Phil stepping towards the man on the floor and dragged him down the hallway and into the kitchen. Throwing him onto a chair, Phil took some rope and duct tape out of his pocket and tied the broken man's hands behind him, the criminal ensuring he twisted Patrick's hands in an awkward manor.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Ty tore every room apart looking for the girl who had cried out for her father. By the sound of her voice, she wasn't that old nor was she too young. _Mid-teens, most likely, _the man thought. He was by far the quieter of the three, listening to orders then fulfilling Joel's wishes. Walking along the hallway, he came to what could only be the girl's bedroom. He sat down on the bed, straightening his black hooded-top and rubbing his hands on his thighs. How did it come to this? He'd never wanted to join a gang, he'd never wanted to be violent and he never wanted to take revenge on a man, and possibly his daughter, he still considered to be a friend. Patrick had left the gang, so why couldn't he? _Because, _his mind answered him, _Joel has to get his own way and you know what happened to Patrick when he went against the leader's wishes? Yeah, that's right. he got 7 bells kicked out of him.' _He smiled to himself, he didn't like what he'd become, but right now, he needed the money to get out of the debt he was in. The man took a deep breath in and stood up. _No point in self-pity, I gotta job to do. _

Ty looked around the room. Everything lay still and quiet: not even the sound of breathing. The man went to walk out when a sound pricked his ears open: the beep of a mobile phone. He turned on his heels and strode towards the wardrobe. Wasting no time, he yanked on the polished handles and stared in. A young girl, around 15 years old, sat in the bottom, her knees pulled under her chin.

"'Ello, darlin'," the man teased as he grabbed Alex by her wrists and pulled her out. She tried her very best to struggle out of the man's grasp but her efforts were futile. Ty made sure the girl banged her head on the shelves as he dragged her past, making her mind spin. As she was dragged down the stairs, Alex's thoughts were of her lover. If she died here, which seemed like a very likely option right about now, he'd never know how sorry she was for not saying goodbye. Her only hope now was that the Octavius in her dreams was right: 'I am coming for you'.

These words rang in her ears as she finally gave into the pain coming from the left side of her head and her world went black.

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_Review? :) _

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	15. Signal Fire

_Little bit of violence and very mild language in this chapter, folks. Just a warning :)_

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Chapter 15

Larry Daley awoke to his mobile phone vibrating in his jeans pocket. Yawning, he sat up as straight as he could and withdrew the gadget from the pocket. Sliding it open, his heart jumped when he read the screen. '_One New Message: Alexandra.' _With his fingers fussing around on the keypad, he quickly opened the text message, his eyes scanning the words.

_'Need help, call police. Dad's old gang showed up, big trouble. Not so sure where you are but I'm sure you're close. Please come quickly! 13 Westwood Avenue, West Grove, Philadelphia...X' _

"Larry, my liege, is everything alright?"

The night-guard turned to see Octavius sitting up, looking at him with wide-eyes.

"No, Octavius," Larry replied as he shoved the car-keys into the ignition, switched into reverse and slammed his foot down on the pedal, "its Alex...she's in trouble." Before Octavius could offer any reply, Larry reversed madly back onto the road and sped off towards Alex's house, trying to dial 911 in the process. Eventually, he got through to the police. The jolting of the car awoke Jedediah, who was less than pleased by Larry's maniacal driving.

"Whoa! What the hell is wrong with you, Gigantor? You gonna get us all killed!" Larry wasn't listening, he was too busy shouting information down the phone to the cops.

"Its Alex," the Roman told him, "she's in danger." Jed shrugged.

"Yeah, we know that already Ockie, now what's with-"

"No! Some men from her father's ex-gang have turned up at her house, with violent intentions." Jed looked at Larry, then at a worried Octavius, then back at the night-guard.

"Well, c'mon Gigantor, surely yer can go faster? Ma iron horse back at the museum can ride faster than this!"

Alexandra opened her eyes slowly to the sound of faint mumbling coming from somewhere nearby, a highly familiar and omnipotent smell invading her nostrils. Blinking numerous times, her surroundings becoming clear. She was sat in a corner of their kitchen, on a chair which she seemed to be tied tightly to. Only Alex and Patrick, who was also tied to a chair but gagged with duct tape, remained in the kitchen, although voices and footsteps could still be heard echoing throughout the house. The door opened slowly, Joel stepping into the room, and walking towards Patrick, the black-haired man's baseball bat in hand. Grabbing one end of the tape stuck to the man's face, Joel whipped the tape off of Patrick's face, causing him to yell in pain. The criminal smiled pleasurably.

"Ooh, that felt good," he grinned, taking a strike at Patrick's arm and shoulder with the baseball bat. "You any idea how much pain _I _went through when you got me sent to jail, Cooper?" Joel took another swing at the man in the chair, this time at his stomach. Alex could have swore she heard something crack.

"Joel, please..." Patrick wheezed, "just take me...let Alex go, she hasn't done anything to you."

"Au _c_ontraire, this brat and her mother were the very reason why you left my gang, because 'she needed you', apparently. I've already eliminated one, just two more to go." Alex's heart stopped. '_Eliminated one? He means...'_

"You killed Claire!" Patrick managed to yell through the pain riveting through his chest.

"Shouldn't leave her diary around now, should she? Easy enough for anyone to swipe to see where she'll be at what approximate time. I wasn't in the car that crashed into her so technically my hands are clean."

"Go to Hell," Patrick spat, Alex staying silent from the shock. Joel growled, the remark from the other man killed his patience. He tightened his grip around the handle of the bat and swung at Patrick's head, the force being that hard that it caused the chair to rock.

"Dad!" Alex screamed, "leave him alone!" She knew her efforts to shout at him were useless. Joel stepped towards her and took a small item out of his pocket, holding it in Alex's petrified face.

"I won't be the one going to Hell...you two will be."

A cigarette lighter. Alex now realized what the smell was: petrol. ___'Oh, hell, no!'_

Joel went to walk out, but turned around to grin at the duo. "Say hi to Claire for me." With one last maniacal laugh, Joel threw the lighter back into the kitchen, then calling to Phil and Ty to set the rest of the house alight. Both father and daughter screamed in unison, hoping somewhere either Phil or Ty would find it in their hearts to do the right thing and set them free...not to their dismay, no one came. The three evil men exited the house and ran for their lives; the house becoming engulfed in flames within seconds.

"Alex! Alex, can you try and get free?" Patrick coughed.

"I can't! The ropes are too tight!"

Patrick tried his best to hop over to his daughter, but the smoke was becoming too much for both of them. Alex's head suddenly became clouded and her vision becoming blurred. She heard her father call her name one final time before the darkness took over her mind.

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_Am I evil leaving it there? Yeah, I think so too. Anyway, I'll be back with another chapter as soon as :)_


	16. Stop & Stare

_Hi all. Sorry for the delay...GCSE results and all that jazz. Passed with flying colours (a year early, oh yeah..and one of them being English Language) just in case you wanted to know...you probably didn't but I'm proud and I've been telling everyone who'll listen. Anyway, you'll probably be wanting to know what happens next, so I'll just shut it now and let you get on with the reading. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)_

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Chapter 16

Larry's black car weaved in and out of the oncoming traffic, his eyes scanning ever sign they passed. The vehicle skidded around a sharp corner, and raced down the dark road. It was a particularly misty night, eerie clouds lurking over the stars. The passengers, mainly Octavius, felt like he was going to faint. From the tone of Alex's message, things could only have gone from bad to worse.

A crossroads. _Typical._ Larry sat alternating between indicators, unsure of which way to go.

"Larry, _please_, we must hurry!" Octavius fidgeted in the back of the car, desperate to aid Alex in the trouble she was in.

"I don't want to pick the wrong road! We could be too late!"

Octavius growled, when a thought came to him: could the Gods guide him to his love? He shut his eyes tightly, praying in his mind. White flashed appeared in his mind, before everything suddenly became clear. His eyes shot open, his deep brown iris' darting about the environment.

"Left, go left!" He yelled at the driver. Larry turned around.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Just GO!"

The small, black car skidded down the street surrounded by houses, the road getting darker and darker as they ventured down. When they came to the end, Larry read the road name: _Westwood Avenue. _This was it. As they drove down at an enormous speed, a faint light began to illuminate at the end of the road. Larry squinted.

_'Oh, hell...please no.' _

"Fire...that's fire," Jedediah managed to splutter out.

"Please, Jupiter...don't let it be."

Larry violently halted the car outside the burning building and read the number on the gate, his brain registering but his heart refusing the numbers.

13.

Before anyone could utter a sound, without even hesitating, Octavius leapt out of the car, kicked down the fence and the front door.

"OCTAVIUS!" Jed and Larry both yelled in unison as loud as their voices would allow them, but the Roman had already disappeared inside the crumbling structure, desperate to rescue his Alexandra.

X...X

Octavius skidded to a halt once he was inside the house, immediately coughing violently. The flames were larger than he had originally anticipated. He tried his best to shield his mouth and nose with his forearm; after all, what good would he be to Alexandra if he was unconscious?

"Alexandra?" He yelled, his call slightly muffled by his arm.

Nothing.

Suddenly, his ears pricked up when he heard coughing. Following the faint sound as best he could, Octavius leapt forward, being careful not to tread on the embers below his feet, and shot down the hallway. Luckily, his armour was inflammable, therefore protecting his torso, head, forearms and calves. The room he came to was totally engulfed in deep red flames, black smoke covering every inch of every room. Two figures lay in the corner closest to the doorway where Octavius was stood. Quickly, he looked closely. A man was draped over a small figure, protecting the person from the majority of the harmful flames; the man obviously being Alex's father and the small figure being Alex.

"Octavius!"

The Roman turned to the source of the sound to see Larry standing behind him. The night-guard immediately looked into the room and saw Patrick and Alex on the floor. Shifting forward past Octavius, Larry lifted Patrick off of the girl and hoisted the man carefully into his own arms. The Roman ripped his metal cuffs from his forearms***** and tossed them aside. Octavius knew their time was running out but he couldn't stop the tears brimming in his eyes at the state of his lover's beautiful face; burns, ash and cuts were spread across her face, her whole body infact, her clothing burnt away. Thinking over the fear and dread that suddenly overwhelmed him, Octavius lifted Alexandra into his safe arms and followed Larry out of the house, angry flames leaping at them as they moved. Once they were safely out, the firemen rushed onto the scene, jumping from their vehicle and attempting to extinguish the flames as best they could. Jedediah sprung to Octavius' side, both men fearing for the life of Alex. The cowboy lightly touched her peaceful face, trying to brush some of the ash away. Larry shuffled towards them, Patrick hoisted over his back.

"Help should be here any minute, okay guys? Some people are gonna have a look at her and take her to a hospital, but we'll still be able to see her, okay?"

Larry forced a smile, hiding the sheer panic that engulfed his mind entirely. He'd seen things like this before, on the news: huge house fires with uncontrollable flames...and 95% of the time there we never any survivors.

X...X

The sirens of the ambulance echoed through the crisp night air as the large vehicle pulled in front of the dismembered home, the flames now under control thanks to the many fire-fighters. Larry and Octavius moved towards the vehicle as two men jumped out of the back.

"Quickly," one of them ordered, "we don't have much time."

Feeling slightly apprehensive about these strange people and the strange transport, Octavius shifted forward and careful handed Alexandra over to the doctor, Larry doing the same with Patrick, both patients still unconscious. They were placed in the back of the ambulance, one of the doctors coming over to them.

"Are you one of their relatives?" The man asked, his glasses sliding down his crooked nose. He eyed Octavius up-and-down curiously, the Roman's costume confusing him.

"I-I'm the girl's Uncle and this is her, erm...boyfriend." Larry's voice trembled as he spoke. "We've-erm, just come from a party," he bluffed, trying to think of an excuse for the 'miniatures' strange appearance. Really, right now, he didn't give a damn if Jed and Octavius looked odd; Alex's life was on the line.

"Right," the doctor frowned but nevertheless carried on, "if you want to follow in your car, Mr...?"

"Daley."

"Right...Mr. Daley, then you are welcome to. One of you may ride with the patients in the ambulance. We must hurry, time is of the essence." With that, the odd little doctor turned and stepped into the vehicle, awaiting departure.

"Octavius, you go. Jed and I will follow behind. Oh, and don't get freaked out by anything...everything's gonna be fine, okay?" Larry placed a hand on the Roman's shoulder as he nodded, deciding against saluting. Jed, meanwhile, was already inside the car, eager to go. The other men took their places in the assigned vehicle and took off, heading in the direction of Jennersvile Regional Hospital.

X...X

Octavius' sweating palm entwined lightly around Alex's cold hand, his eyes constantly transfixed on her pale face. Her eyes flickered beneath the lids every few seconds showing the only sign of life. The doctor seemed to be concentrating more on the girl's father, Patrick, Octavius remembering the name. The Roman scowled at the unconscious man; it was because of him that his love was struggling to breathe, fighting to live. The number of beeping machines that surrounded him unnerved him immensely. Back at the museum, Larry had explained things like this: when people were seriously injured and how they were taken care of: he'd even shown them all a television programme depicting modern hospitals and Octavius, being a Roman and loving everything to do with medicines and public health, was fascinated by it all. Or, he _had _been fascinated by it all when the breathing apparatus was strapped to a strangers face, rather than the person he cared for most in this world. Alex's cold hand twitched beneath his as Octavius wished..._prayed, _for her survival...and her survival only.

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_I've realised that it comes naturally to me to leave cliffhangers...I'm sorry. I shall continue..eventually :)_

_***** = _Roman Generals (Octavius in this case) wear metal cuffs around their wrists and, in this case, being in with the flames, would have made them very hot (because metal conducts heat)...so hot that it would've scolded Alex's skin had he picked her up with them on.


	17. Open Up Your Eyes

_Sorry for taking so long, Year 11 is so hectic!_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Night At The Museum, Or Any Of Its Characters...Alexandra, on the other hand...is mine ;)_

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_Chapter 17

Octavius paced solicitously in the puce-coloured waiting area of the 'Accident & Emergency' wing of Jennersville Regional Hospital, Larry and Jedediah sat uncomfortably and awkwardly on the seats to the Roman's left.

"Octavius, pacing isn't going to help," Larry spat sternly.

"Neither is sitting down."

The night-guard exhaled deeply and sat back against the hard chair, his coarse blue eyes locked on the clock.

Octavius glanced dirtily at Larry; it was alright for him: he was familiar with all of the modern procedures whereas Octavius had no idea what was going on, what they were doing to Alex and her no-good father. Sure, he had medical knowledge about how to treat burns and wounds, all now completely outdated and replaced with fancy tools and equipment. The worse thing? Time seemed to be teasing him.

X...X

Minutes turned into hours, dawn began to creep through the windows, the grey circles under Larry's eyes grew larger and more noticeable. The trio in the waiting room alerted when a doctor came to greet them. He was a tall man, with no colour in his face except at the tip of his nose, which was a deep shade of pink. His hands roamed around the clipboard he held firmly in his right arm, an pen perched in the opposite hand.

"The family of Alexandra Daley and Patrick Cooper?" The three men nodded.

"Mr. Daley, I presume?" The man asked, moving in to shake Larry's hand.

"Er, yeah," Larry replied, a little stunned as to how the man knew, "how are they?"

The doctor forced a pitiful smile. "...I think you'd all better sit down."

Octavius shifted past the doctor and planted himself on the empty seat to Larry's right, his heart racing in his chest.

"I'm Doctor Williams, one of the leading surgeons and physiotherapist at Jennersville Regional. Alexandra is in a stable condition now with second degree burns and controlled breathing, although we are monitoring her heart-rate very closely as there was an issue during an examination."

"An issue?" Jed blurted forward.

The doctor continued to explain how Alex's heart had stopped for two minuted during a treatment to her burns, but, thanks to modern technology, the doctors had the power to bring her back into this World.

Octavius grinned: knowing his love was okay; Jedediah exhaled happily and Larry's eyes became watered.

"What about Patrick?" The night-guard asked, his fear now turning its attention to his brother-in-law. Doctor Williams' smile faded, the light-haired man beginning to shake his head.

"Whilst he was inside the burning building, Patrick inhaled a lot of poisonous gas, severely effecting his breathing. It became too much of a big problem before our doctors could intervene and assist. I'm sorry, sir...he passed away some moments ago."

All smiles from the trio were suddenly swept away; none of them really knew Patrick...it was the thought of telling Alex that her father, the man who she'd only just found, was gone. Octavius suddenly felt guilt sweep over him: he had blamed the man for putting Alex in harms way and wished that he wouldn't pull through when he was unconscious in the back of the ambulance...The Gods had granted his wish, perhaps?

"...when can we see Alex?" Octavius asked, his voice quivering.

"You may see her now, however she is under a lot of medication and, with all the equipment in her room, her condition looks worse than it is. She should make a full recovery from the fire...it will be the long struggle of getting over her father's death that will be the dilemma. Room 22B, down the hallway." With that, Doctor Williams smiled and left.

X...X

The hallway was poorly lit as well as poorly decorated. The most morbid shade of peach covered every wall, the odd dead plant passing them every few paces. As they edged closer to Alex's room, the corridor seemed to be elongating; teasing them, almost. They came to a door, the numbers '22B' nailed on the wooden door in a cold metal. Larry's sweating hand shook uncontrollably as he grabbed the door handle, twisted, and opened, fearful about what he would see. He walked in, knees trembling, Octavius and Jed following behind. The room was a pale blue, sunflowers occupying the vases on either bedside table. The bed in the centre of the room was surrounded by wires and machines, all beeping at a different tone. It was the figure lying in the bed that scared Larry, Jed and Octavius the most: little Alexandra lay on her back in the large bed, an oxygen mask strapped to her face accompanied by dozens of bandages on her face and arms. Her chest rose and fell gently as she slept, her face expressionless. The heart-monitor beeped regularly, ensuring everything was in order. Larry and Octavius sat on the two chairs provided in the room, while Jedediah stood at the end of her bed, all staring at the girl they all so deeply adored. The room was silent for a few moments before Jed failed at biting back a loud sob. Larry moved from his chair to comfort the weeping cowboy, taking him outside the room to attempt to calm him down, leaving Octavius alone with Alex. Shaking vigorously, he managed to entwine his fingers around her own, her palm surprisingly warm on his. He sighed, chocking back the tears in his brown eyes.

"With all the time to I have had to think, you would have thought I would know what to say now I've finally found you..." He laughed quietly, hoping Alex could hear. "I missed you, so much, sometimes I thought I could not go on..but then I remember that you are the Light to my Dark, the one who keeps me fighting."

A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"But this time," Octavius began, his voice trembling, "you have to fight, my love: fight to come back to me...I will not allow anything like this to happen to you again." He rose from his seated position, lent over the bed and closed the gap between them: kissing her forehead gently, their hands still entwined.

Just as Octavius was about to sit back on the chair, he felt Alex's hand twitch beneath his, making his heart skip a beat. He stared at her face, waiting for her eyes to open...but they never did. He collapsed back into the chair, rubbing his eyes with his free, yet sweating, hand. His ears pricked open when a small moan came from the figure before him. His gaze suddenly caught that of Alexandra's, the grip tightening on his hand.

"Alexandra, my love?" Suddenly, it all seemed to good to be true, but the blue eyes blinking back at him told him it was all so real.

"Hey, Octavius, baby."

X...X

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_Whoop, yeah. Thanks for reading this far, only a few chapters to go now...  
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_PS- Did I ever tell you how much I hate writers block? … Reviews help! :D  
_


	18. Safe Yet Alone

_Whoo, I'm back come bearing cookies!...not really. I do, however, have a new chapter to share with those of you who are still reading :} Thanks for your support. I would especially like to thank MamaLita for being so dedicated to reading and reviewing this story of mine. This ones for you ;}_

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Chapter 18

Time is a curious thing. There are moments in our lives where time seems to slow down for us, making us feel invincible. This moment, for Alex & Octavius, was one of those moments. As the space between them grew shorter, the smile of Octavius' face grew larger. Jed and Larry noticed the pair embracing and darted back into the room, crying the girl's name. Alex pulled away from her lover and yanked the oxygen mask from her face. The breathing apparatus was barely out of the way when Octavius' lips crashed onto hers. Jed and Larry stood in silence watching them, overwhelmed by the fact that Alex was okay. She broke away from Octavius and grasped his hand tightly in her own.

"I missed you so much," she whispered. Octavius tried to reply, but the words were seemingly stuck in his throat. Alexandra smiled, and kissed him again.

Of course Octavius was over-the-moon that his love was alive, and while they embraced, a question could help but stand out in his mind: '_how am I going to tell her about her father?'_

X...X

Thirty minutes passed and Octavius still had no idea how to tell his lover that her father was dead. Maybe Larry should tell her? No, it'd sound better coming from someone who she loves with all her heart. He sat next to Alex's bed, while Larry told her of their adventure over the past few days, Alex listening attentively. Octavius glanced over at Jed, who seemed to be staring dreamily at right into Alex's eyes. Maybe Jedediah should tell her? No, he was simply her friend. _Best friend_, maybe, but he knew it was up to him to tell her. He glanced over from the other side of the room at Alexandra and Jed, who were gossiping intensely over things he did not understand: fancy wagon trains or something like that. Jed waved his arms around as Alex laughed. She looked so happy, so content, and Octavius knew he had to bring her back down. He edged closer to the hospital bed, deciding he should get it all over with while Larry was getting coffee.

"Alexandra?" Octavius almost-whispered as he sat down in the empty chair next to Jedediah.

"Yes, Octavius?" Alex replied, entwining her fingers around her lovers'.

"I have been thinking about how to burden you with such tragic news...I-I'm so sorry, but your father did not survive the house fire." After the words left his mouth, he realised it may have been better breaking the news to Alex a _little _slower, rather than all in one long sentence.

"...what?" The girls eyes widened and began to fill with tears, her mind not wanting to process what her lover had just said.

"I'm sorry Lex, Ockie's telling the truth," Jed supported. The girl sat up in the bed, shaking her head.

"No, no. That's not fair...I've only just found him, it's not FAIR!" She sobbed, her palms covering her face. Octavius quickly took the girl into his arms, rocking her gently as she wept. Jedediah also moved into the embrace, awkwardly wrapping his arms around Octavius and Alex.

Never had Alexandra felt so safe yet so alone in all her life.

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_Short chapter, I know. I just wanted to end on that line :} Review?_


	19. All Clear

_Happy (late) New Year! :}_

_Curse Year 11 and exam revision! ...and writers block -_- _

_Sorry for taking so long :)_

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Chapter 19

When Larry re-entered the room, Alex was still in Octavius' arms, rocking her as she wept into his shoulder. He realized immediately that he must have told her about Patrick's death. Larry shifted awkwardly into the room and sat down in the empty seat next to Jedediah and began to sip the coffee gingerly.

"...d'ya think I should say somthin'?" Jed whispered to Larry, trying to hide his mouth with his hand. Larry didn't reply with words; only shook his head slightly. Jed sighed and sank back into the chair. Thinking about it, he'd never seen Octavius be as 'cuddly' as he is now. He'd always seemed almost _withdrawn _from cowboy did suppose it was because his lover was distraught at this moment, but still...Jed was sure he'd been inconsolable at some point in the years they'd been friends, and never had Ockie held him like that. _'Best friends, huh? Hmph,' _he thought. The cowboy folded his arms across his chest in a sudden and abrupt manor, and with a slight 'meh' noise accompanying it. His eyebrows became knitted together as he stared at the couple, who were still wrapped in each others warmth, wanting to come between them. Jed was knocked from his venomous thoughts when Larry nudged him.

"Hey, you okay there, Jed?"

"Hm? Oh, sure Gigantor...I'm fine. I guess I'm just _so_ happy for them," he smiled.

Larry nodded and went back to sipping his coffee silently.

X...X

_'Is it possible for life to be this **cruel**? Finally finding Octavius again, then finding my father felt like Heaven, felt like nothing could ever go wrong. _

_What did I do to deserve to have one taken away from me...forever? I can't carry on, I need to see him again...hold me, Octavius? Just for another moment, I need to feel safe; needed; wanted. Never leave me...and I'll carry on, for you..._

Alexandra had ceased crying about 15 minutes ago, Octavius figured. She still lay in a foetal position of some sort, asleep, her face looking distant. Octavius knelt next to her bed, his hand entwined around hers. The silence of the room was broken when the door's hinges squeezed, signifying someone's entrance to the room. A tall man, who Larry recognized to be Doctor Williams from earlier, walked into the room.

"Mr. Daley?" he said, looking at Larry, who rose off the seat to stand next to the taller man. "I have been looking through Alexandra's blood test results and everything is fine, her heart-rate is back to a regular pace, and her burns should heal in time with no problems."

"So...does that mean she's discharged?" Larry grinned, hoping for the answer he wanted to hear.

"Yes, however she must not strain herself, she must get plenty of rest and," the doctor lowered his voice, "she may need to see a psychiatrist if she remains to be distraught about the loss of her father. If she does not eat, drink or sleep then I would recommend that." Doctor Williams smiled at Octavius, who still remained knelt on the floor next to Alex, as he walked towards the bed.

"I need you to move for a minute, son," he said to Octavius.

Gingerly, the Roman let go of his lovers hand and moved to stand next to a gleeful Larry. Alexandra had shifted onto her back, making it easier for Williams to check her over. The IV was still connected to her right wrist, the doctor starting to take it out. Octavius sucked air in through his gritted teeth, thinking taking that contraption out of his lover's arm was going to be painful.

"Don't worry, Octavius, he's not going to hurt her," Larry tenderly whispered to the worried Roman standing next to him. Once the doctor was done doing what was needed, he bid his goodbyes to the three men, wished them well for the future and exited. The trio stood in silence for a few seconds, before Larry spoke.

"...Well?"

Jed blinked. "well, what? I ain't got the slightest clue what in tarnation that guy was talkin' about."

"Neither did I, Larry. What does 'discharged' mean?" Octavius' face twisted with bewilderment.

Larry sighed and smiled. "It means-"

"It means we're outta here!"

The three men looked up to find Alex sat up in the hospital bed, blinking at them.

"ALEX!" They shouted in unison as they leapt forward to hug her. Jedediah, unbelievably, was the first to wrap his arms around the girl's neck, forgetting about her burns and injuries. "Aahhh, burns!" She laughed, a sound Larry thought he would not hear for a long time. Once Jedediah had apologized for his bold actions, Octavius took his rightful place in Alex's arms, both holding on so tight like they would never let go.

After a loud sigh from Alexandra, Octavius whispered in her ear:

"I thought I lost you..."

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_...and there's the link to the title :)_

_Once again, I wanted to end the chapter on that line :) Thanks for reading!_


	20. This Is Home

_OH MY WORD...I won't even bother asking how long its been because, quite frankly, I'm embarrassed, to say the least. GCSE's and Year 11 are no longer holding me back...High School is OUT and I'm a free girl for 10 whole weeks:) Finally! So yes, this fic should be therefore finished in no time at all, I promise. Thank you so much for those of you who are still reading! Much love to you all:)_

_Disclaimer: Oh wait, just let me check...Nope, still don't own Night at The Museum or any of its characters. _

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Chapter 20

Larry drove back towards New York on the brightly lit roads, with Jed, Octavius and Alexandra in the rear seats of the car; the girl cuddled in the middle of them. She slept surprisingly calmly, considering what she had been through in the past 48 hours. Her head was conveniently placed on Octavius' shoulder: where the Roman could rest his cheek upon her head. Meanwhile, on the other side, Alex's hand entwined with Jed's, a gloved thumb caressing the smooth, bare skin. Larry glanced in the rear-view mirror at the trio in the back and smiled. Never had he seen the trio so calm and never had he seen the protective glint which Octavius and Jed now had in their eyes. Larry's gaze then focused purely on his niece, who still slept soundly against her lover's shoulder. Apart from the burns and cuts which gently marked her peaceful face, no one would ever guess that the poor young girl had been through Hell and back in the past week or so. Larry was sure, just as Alexandra most probably was, that her being with Octavius would have a huge impact on her life but whether it would be a positive or negative impact still remained as a question in Larry's mind.

X...X

"We're here guys. Home, sweet home," Larry announced to the group as he, Jedediah and Octavius all got out of the car, the latter two giving Alex a helping hand to join them on the pavement. Instead of going back to the Museum, Larry thought it be best for the 'miniatures' to spend the rest of the night in his apartment. Gentle snowflakes began to fall from the sky; it was December the 22nd,after all. They all stood gazing up at the dark night sky in ewe. Well, three of them were: Jedediah stretched his arms high in the air and yawned impatiently.

"We gonna stand lookin' at the sky all night long? Cos I reckon we all need to get a little shut-eye."

"Good point, Jed," Larry acknowledged as he headed towards his front door, key already in hand. Alex took Octavius' hand.

"C'mon, General," she whispered to him. He smiled gently at her, leading her up the steps into the warm building. Once they were all inside his flat, Larry showed Jed to his room, however the cowboy insisted that he 'camped out' on the sofa; new experiences and all that, so Larry didn't feel the need to argue. Naturally, Alex and Octavius wanted to spend the night together; a matter that Larry didn't approve very highly of. So, the three of them came to the agreement that Octavius could go into Alex's room to _kiss _her goodnight, and nothing else, and then he must go into his own room for the remainder of the night. Alexandra, being the mature teenager she was, understood her uncles concern and accepted his regulations for when Octavius stayed the night. So, when Jedediah was settled on the sofa and Larry began to make his way to his own bed, Octavius shuffled into Alex's room, feeling somewhat afraid of what she may say to him now they were in private. He entered the brightly decorated room, to see his lover sat on her bed, in those blue 'Dreamer' pyjamas that she loved. The Roman sat down next to her, and let out an exhausted sigh.

"We have been through quite a bit within the past few days."

Alex smiled, but uttered no words of reply.

"Are you feeling alright tonight?"

Still no reply.

"Alexandra? Please speak to me. I know the experience of all this must be traumatic for you but I am merely trying to help you."

"I know, I know. But..."

Octavius moved closer, keeping in mind Larry's rules.

"My father's gone. Out of all this, I at least wanted to get to know the man who I'd call 'Dad'."

"Forgive me for sounding so rash, my love," the General began, "but Larry could be considered to be the main father figure in your life...and now, you also have Jedediah and I to guide you along when things look bleak."

Alexandra said nothing for a few moments then smiled at her lover, as the Roman pulled the girl into his arms and gently kissed the top of her head, protectively.

If either of them were made to describe their most perfect moment, this would have been a top contender. Sheer bliss. But these moments are often interrupted, and this was no exception.

"Alright, love bugs. You know our agreement." Larry poked his head around the door, with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Uncle Larry."

Octavius kissed Alexandra one final time, before bowing in front of her and exiting the room. He shifted nervously past Larry, who then moved to say his own goodnight to his niece.

"Thank you, Uncle Larry...for everything," the girl said into his shoulder, as he embraced her.

"Aww, you've no need to thank me, Alex."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I think I do. _You_ came to get me; _you_, and Jed, stopped Octavius from doing something reckless and _you _supported me since the start of all this."

"You make me sound like I'm some sort of Super-Hero. That's just what family do; you're like my own little girl." With that, Larry felt it was probably best for him to leave, he could feel his eyes brimming with tears, but with joy, not sadness. Alexandra was safe, once again; and oh, how he prayed it would stay that way this time.

X...X

Octavius made his way into Larry's sitting room to find Jedediah fidgeting on the sofa, trying to get the pillows into the right positions.

"Jedediah? May I talk with you for a moment?"

The cowboy stopped messing around and looked at his Roman companion.

"Sure Ockie, something eatin' ya?"

"No, no. Quite the opposite, really. I just wanted to thank you, for sticking by me through all of this. It mustn't have been easy, what with your various injuries...and short attention span."

"Hey!" Jed laughed, knowing his best friend was just joking with him. "Ya don't have to thank me, Octavius. You're my buddy, companion and...whatnot: wherever you go, I go. Whoa, and not to mention Alex is a dang pretty lookin' lady." He winked playfully at the Roman, who didn't know whether Jed was joking or not, but he let it slide. Octavius turned to exit the room and to go to his own bed. Before he went, he turned back to Jedediah.

"Goodnight, my friend."

Jed smiled gently at Octavius. "G'night, Toga-Boy."

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_NEARLY DONE. One more chapter, hopefully! Buuuut I'm off on holiday (to Edinburgh..EXCITED!) in a few days so I shall be writing while I'm there. Once again, thank you so much for reading this far and sticking with me throughout everything!_


	21. The End

_The. Final. Chapter._

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Chapter 21

"Alex, Octavius? You ready yet?" Larry called across his flat to his young niece and her lover. Jedediah, who stood next to the night-guard, smacked his friend on the arm.  
"Lighten up, Gigantor," he laughed, "its Christmas eve!"

Maybe Jed was right, Larry thought, they had all been so caught up in all the antics that they had completely forgotten Christmas..if that was even possible. Obviously, when they had realised just what time of year it was, they all set to work on the decorations around the apartment, the ever-oblivious Octavius fascinated by it all.

"Just a second!" Alexandra yelled back, disrupting Larry's thoughts.

Larry glanced down to look at his watch. 6:50pm; he was due at the museum at 7:00pm.

In Alexandra's room, the girl sat awkwardly on her bed, while Octavius tied her shoelaces on her favourite _All Star Purple Converses._

"There we are, my love," the Roman announced as he rose of his knees to stand before Alex. She smiled, signalling her gratitude and began to stand, only to be stopped by Octavius.

"Just before everything goes back to the way it was before, I want to say something to you, Alexandra...if that's okay with you."

"Sure thing," the girl replied as she resumed her seat on the bed, "go ahead, my liege."

Octavius took a large intake of breath and spoke with a gentle tone to his usually powerful voice.  
"I knew, from the moment that I met you in this lifetime, that you and I would resume our passionate relationship which blossomed whilst in Ancient Rome. We were so close to being betrothed before you moved away, and I sincerely hope we will become married, one day...perhaps when you are older, yes? You have been the light in my life for so long and...I wanted to say thank you."

Octavius then reached around his neck and pulled off the thing which had kept him holding on for so long: Alexandra's necklace; the metal piece shaped in the form of an "A" to symbolise her name.

"This reminded me of our love, in the darkest of times, thank you." The Roman went to hand it back to the young girl, but she held her hands up.

"No Octavius," Alex started, as she folded her lovers palm over her necklace piece, "you keep it: it'll keep me close to you when I'm not around. I want you to keep it."

Octavius didn't reply; hell, he _couldn't _reply. He felt far to choked to force any words out of his mouth. So instead, he nodded meekly and smiled, before moving to take Alexandra in his strong arms.

Then, the late pair stepped out from the bedroom, Octavius supporting Alex's waist as she walked. She admitted, her bones, muscles and heart (for the loss of her father) ached like hell, but there would be no way that her Uncle or her lover would allow her out of bed if they were to find out, so she kept quiet, gritted her teeth and forced a smile. Octavius held onto his lover tightly yet in a protective manor as they both stepped cautiously down the hallway. Alexandra, as she always did, wore purple and Octavius, as normal, wore his Roman General uniform proudly. All four of them stepped out of the apartment and began to make their way over to the Museum of Natural History. Once they were all inside the huge building and the doors were locked, the Tablet of Ahkmenrah glowed and before they all knew it, everything came to life.

"Larry, my boy, you did it! You brought young Alexandra home!" Teddy Roosevelt stepped forward to greet them all, smiling like there was no tomorrow.

"Nah, it wasn't me, Teddy...Octavius here had all the driving force we needed to get her back." While the ex-President complimented Octavius on a "splendid job", Ahkmenrah rushed down the stairs and rapidly embraced Alex when he saw her, much to Octavius' dislike. Alexandra finally felt like she was actually home.

X...X

Hours into the night, Octavius and Alexandra were sat in the Diorama room in silence. Not the kind of 'awkward' silence, no. More like the kind of silence one relishes in when ones surroundings are perfect and everything is bliss.

"Octavius?" Alex said, breaking the silence.

"Mmm?"

"Are you sure you're okay with the plan? You know, about seeing each other?"

"Of course, my love. Perhaps you forget, I become almost non-existent during opening hours and the fact that you are willing to become a miniature at night to allow me to court you is most flattering indeed."

"Plus, Jed won't be left out either," the girl added. Octavius laughed as the couple snuggled closer together. Their lips were just about to meet in a fiery moment when someone interrupted them.

"Jeez, get a room, you two!"

The couple turned to see Jedediah stood at the door, leaning casually on the door frame. In a mischievous manor, he signalled for them to follow him, so curiously, they did. The trio walked down the main staircase into the lobby to find everyone there, standing underneath two banners; one reading "Welcome Home, Alex" and the other saying "Happy Christmas" written in gold and silver lettering. Music (_'All I Want For Christmas,' _Alex thought) began to play in the background while all the inhabitants cheered as the trio made their way down into the crowd.

"We all figured you deserved a party," Jedediah exclaimed to Alexandra as he grinned at her. She giggled at him and kissed her cowboy friend lightly on the cheek, brushing his blonde hair away in the process. Alex smiled profoundly as she made her way through the crowd, only to find her Uncle Larry standing by the stereo. Beaming, the man ran forward to take his niece into his arms for a tight embrace. Predictably, Jedediah decided to join them and make it a 'group hug', and leaped onto them; the trio laughing. Feeling compelled to, Octavius shrugged his shoulders and ran to join the group. Realising his mouth was parallel to Alexandra's ear, he whispered to her.

"I thought I lost you.."

Smiling, Alexandra replied with only one word, which was all Octavius ever wanted to hear:

"Never."

* * *

_YAAAAY! Omfg, I actually never thought I'd finish this...but I have and I really, really, really hope you enjoyed it: because I certainly had a hell of a blast writing it. _

_Some of the reviews that I have had for this story have been the best. I really would like to thank **JedediahForeverMD**,** MamaLita**, **TTCyclone**, **Hawk's-GaL4077** and **pinkxjellybean** for constantly reading and reviewing throught the whole thing. You guys really are the best! Much love to them and to everyone whos read this to the very end. .. 3  
_


	22. Lyrics to I Thought I Lost You

Oh, and just in case any of you were curious, this is the song that inspired me to write this. Yes, I _**can't stand**_ Miley Cyrus but I love this song! God dammit -_-

Anyhoo, here are the lyrics :) thanks again!

_[Female – Alexandra (Miley Cyrus)]_  
Nobody listens to me, don't hear a single thing I've said  
Say anything to soothe me, anything to get you from my head  
Don't know how really I feel,  
Cause it's the faith that makes it like I don't care  
Don't know how much it hurts to turn around like you were never there  
Like somehow you could be replaced and I could walk away from the promises we made  
And swore we'd never break!

_[Chorus -[Female & Male (Alex + Octavius)]_  
I thought I lost you when you ran away to try to find me  
I thought I'd never see your sweet face again.  
I turned around and you were gone and on and on the days went  
but I kept the moments that we were in  
'Cause I hoped in my heart, that you would come back to me my friend  
And now I got you, but I thought I lost you!

[_Male- Octavius (John Travolta)]_  
I felt so empty out there, and there were days I had my doubts  
but I knew I'd find you somewhere  
because I knew I couldn't live without you in my life for one more day  
and I swore I'd never break a promise that we made

_[Chorus - [Female & Male (Alex + Octavius)]_  
I thought I lost you when you ran away to try to find me  
I thought I'd never see your sweet face again.  
I turned around and you were gone and on and on the days went  
but I kept the moments that we were in  
'Cause I hoped in my heart, that you would come back to me, my friend  
And now I got you, but I thought I lost you!

_[Male- Octavius (John Travolta)]_  
I told myself I wouldn't sleep 'til I searched the world from sea to sea

_[Female – Alexandra (Miley Cyrus)]_  
I made a wish upon a star, I turned around and there you were

_[Female & Male (Alex + Octavius)]_  
And now here we are, are

_[Female – Alexandra (Miley Cyrus)]_  
I thought I lost you

_[Male- Octavius (John Travolta)]_  
I thought I lost you too

_[Chorus - Female & Male (Alex + Octavius)]_  
I thought I lost you when you ran away to try to find me  
I thought I'd never see your sweet face again.  
I turned around and you were gone and on and on the days went  
but I kept the moments that we were in  
and I knew in my heart, that you would come back to me, my friend  
And now I got you, I thought I lost you!

_[Female – Alexandra (Miley Cyrus)]_  
but I thought I lost you

_[Male- Octavius (John Travolta)]_  
I thought I lost you too

[_Female & Male (Alex + Octavius)]_  
so glad I got you, got you

_[Female – Alexandra (Miley Cyrus)]_  
so glad I got you, yeah yeah  
I thought I lost you

_[Male- Octavius (John Travolta)]_  
I thought I lost you too...


End file.
